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Vancouver B.C.,
April 12, 2010 -
On April 8, 2010 the
Seven Generations Education Institute located within Treaty #3 territory in
Northwestern Ontario celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
The day began with a sunrise ceremony attended by Elders, staff, students and supporters of the Institute. The ceremony marked the beginning of a new era in the Institute journey within the education process. The Elders conducted a ceremony that lifted a drum, eagle staff and pipe to help guide and give support to the students, staff and communities within the Treaty#3 territory.
Calvin Helin, author of Dances with Dependency was an invited as the keynote guest speaker to present his thoughts on self-reliance to an audience comprised of students, staff, Band Council members, Institute Board of Directors and Elders. The Institute was honoured by the representatives from Universities such as Wilfred Laurier, Queens, Laurentian, Lakehead and Canadore College. Also in attendance were educators from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Colleges and Universities and local provincial school boards of education. Local Member of Parliament John Rafferty attended the celebration and offered his congratulatory remarks on the achievements of the Institute.
The day also featured an open-house that provided an opportunity to the Institute to show-case its programs and to provide evidence of the achievements and accomplishments of its students. Delbert Horton, Chief Executive Officer gave a short summary of highlights from the past 25 years. He stated over the course of its history the Institute has provided the opportunity for 1400 First Nations students to graduate from the various programs at the secondary school, apprenticeships, college and university levels. He went on to say that Seven Generations Education Institute was nominated as one of the top 10 aboriginal institutes in Western Canada within the past five years. The Institute was also granted accreditation by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium.
The strength of the celebrations was evident in the décor, 5 star Aboriginal cuisine and presentations provided by the staff, students, graduates and friends of the Institute. The success of the day was reflected on the faces of the Elders in attendance.
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For further information on DWD double-click on the book image below or call (604) 275-6670. For information on the American published edition contact Ravencrest Publishing.
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