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The first major fundraising dinner for a new Oneida longhouse attracted 400 community members and Mohawk Elders at the Oneida Community Centre on Nov. 23.

The longhouse is a ceremonial building of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy).

The dinner raised more than $7,400. Nick and Mary Deleary, who live on reserve, donated six acres of land to the project.

The evening featured speakers Tom Porter, a Mohawk Elder from Fonda, N.Y.; Jan Longboat, a Mohawk Elder from Six Nations; and Gary Farmer, a Toronto-based Cayuga actor and multi-media producer.

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Nina Goodman is the co-ordinator for these programs at Bow Valley, both of which are recent additions to the Aboriginal upgrading and pre-employment program that has been running at the college for 13 years.

The pre-trades program just had its first student intake in September, and is a continuous intake program, which means each month brings the opportunity to begin for new students.

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The Aboriginal Licensed Practical Nurse Program at Bow Valley College in Calgary is about to graduate its first group of students, and the future looks promising for the 11 women.

Dr. Rena Shimoni, dean of Health and Community Care, said she's received positive feedback from the nursing professionals in the organizations that provided recent work placement positions.

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If you are an Aboriginal student in a grade from 10 to13 living in Canada and you have an idea for a business, the Business Development Bank of Canada has a competition that may help you see your idea turn into reality.

The E-Spirit 2002 Aboriginal Youth Business Plan competition will expose young people to the potential of entrepreneurship and the Internet by using volunteers from the private sector to judge the business plans submitted by student teams.

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For 39-year-old Sharon Bourque, a genuine love for her challenging job is why she looks forward to going to work each day.

The warm camaraderie between fellow police officers, a supportive husband, who is also a police officer, and a strong belief in herself to do the job right makes her role as an Edmonton Police Service officer all the more enjoyable.

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Offered for the first time at Norquest College, the Wechetowin Aboriginal Employability Program, beginning on Feb. 3, will give students a chance to find a job, gain work experience, or move into further upgrading or skills training. The 20-week course is expected to be attended by 20 to 25 students.

Pat McQueen, co-ordinator of the Wechetowin program, Margaret Goodeagle, the key instructor for the cultural component, and Luella Massey, the employment councillor, will be heading up the program.

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Buffalo, N. Y. will be the host city for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in 2005. The NAIG council made that announcement Dec. 13, 2002 in Saskatoon.

Harold Joseph, NAIG council president, said the site was chosen through a process of elimination between Santa Fe, N. M., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Kamloops, B.C. Although these games were scheduled to take place in the U.S., the council decided to let Kamloops take part in the bidding process just in case the cities in the U.S. did not qualify by meeting all the criteria.

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Eight young people are on their way to Mexico this month as part of a work experience program supported by Oteenaw Employment and Training Society, the Metis Nation of Alberta and Canada World Youth. There they will gain practical work experience, share cultural values and obtain leadership skills. Alberta Sweetgrass asked seven of the travelers what they were, as individuals, hoping to gain from the experience. Missing from the group was Courtney Patenaude of East Prairie.

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The Napi Friendship Association in this southwestern Alberta community has been singled out by the provincial government for championing human rights all year round.

Gene Zwozdesky, Minister of Community Development and the minister responsible for human rights in Alberta, acknowledged the work done by the association in a statement given to mark International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, 2002.

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The Metis people of Canada will soon be able to turn on their televisions and see themselves, their history and their culture represented on the screen, when the Metis Michif Television Network (MMTN) hits the airwaves.

The new network was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Nov. 6. Ken Schaffer, the main force behind the new network, is hoping to launch it in April 2004.