IMAP needs secure funding - Meneen

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Tallcree Chief Bernard Meneen says it's about time the federal government made a commitment to long-term funding for the Indian Management Assistance Program (IMAP).

IMAP has for too long relied on short-term funding commitments which prevents better programs from being introduced, he said. Meneen said he'd like Ottawa to make a three to five year commitment of funds to IMAP to ensure excellent programs for its students.

IMAP, which began about 1985, matches students - primarily graduate - for summer work with Native bands and organizations across Alberta.

It's administered by the First Nations Resource Council of which Meneen is president.

"In the last three years IMAP has placed more student in Indian and Metis communities than before. The students have learned much while assisting there communities in a wide variety of business fields," said Meneen, speaking to a group of students and government and business officials at an IMAP conference in Edmonton last week.

"It's the least coast to Canadian citizens and I believe IMAP has earned the right to stabilized funding," he stressed.

According the IMAP director Barbara Hartley, Alberta's Native communities over the last three years have had access to what is probably the lowest cost, highest quality consulting service in the country. And she said if IMAP had a larger budget, "we could place twice as many students because the demands from the Native bands is certainly there," she said.

IMAP received 300 applications this year from prospective students studying at 47 universities worldwide. And more than 100 Native groups expressed interest in employing student consultants for the summer.

Samson Chief Victor Buffalo, director of the First Nations resource Council, praised IMAP as a wonderful program.

"I have seen great results from the activities of students and I believe government should reconsider funding to IMAP and that it not be identified as discretionary," he said.

Hartley said since 75 per cent of IMAP student are non-Native, the opportunity for cultural inter change is tremendous.

In this time of cultural "friction," the value of this type of interchange cannot be overestimated, she said.

She added the networking skills learned during the summer and the contacts students develop both with government and private agencies are valuable resources for later job searches after degrees are completed.

She said this should not be ignored, stressing long-term IMAP funding is essential.