Report from "Blueprint for the Future" 2010

February 9th, 2010

BFF -- not the Paris Hilton thing, but rather Blueprint for the Future -- was held in balmy Thunder Bay, Ontario. This event, hosted twice a year by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), brings together prospective students, employers, and educators under one roof for a day. BFF is really a career fair/rock concert on wheels.

Other than the loading-in of boxes and displays, very little happened the first day. However, NAAF held a very nice event for all of the speakers and sponsors in the evening at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, with great catering from a local bistro. Roberta Jamieson spoke about the great support NAAF has had with public- and private-sector funding, and about their great victories handing out significant amounts of bursaries throughout their long tenure as a foundation. She also spoke about the high birth rate and high secondary-school dropout rate among Aboriginal individuals.

February 10th, 2010

I woke up ready for a recruiting fair, and read in the Top Ten another story on the scary events happening at First Nations University of Canada. The institution was on my mind most of the day.

Wab Kinew was the emcee for the event and did a great job. Wab is an athlete, a hip hop artist, CBC commentator, and, most applicable, a previous NAAF scholarship winner. I was inspired to hear Wab talk to the students about his language, academics, and life. A true Aboriginal role model, and not a better person could have been selected to do this job.

Students moved from the opening ceremonies to their various workshops and the tradeshow. Students had to visit 5 tradeshow booths and attend 4 workshops to complete their “passport” to be entered to win one of 5 laptops. The workshops involved various presentations from industry leaders and education institutions. The workshops focused on planning for the future, whether it be vocation- or education-related. I offered a workshop on all the possibilities that colleges can offer Aboriginal students.

The tradeshow saw a variety of big corporations and a good group of post-secondary institutions. About half of Northern Ontario colleges and universities were in attendance. Seneca and York University were the only Southern Ontario institutions at the event, and the University of Northern British Columbia and Concordia University were also in attendance.

The students and speakers were entertained by an amazing two- piece band that kicked off their lunch-time set with a great cover of the Beatles’ "Come Together." The band, CerAmony, performed a variety of original songs to round out their set, which was full of lights and lasers -- a true rock concert over lunch.

NAAF spends a lot of time making BFF special for Aboriginal youth. If the event ever comes within your recruiting catchment area, please attend and support the event. Although the booth fee may be high, it pays for the students who have to spend the night in a hotel to attend the event. Please help keep NAAF and BFF going strong.