lakehead u and rbc wrap up joint aboriginal outreach program

(december 1, 2010 " thunder bay, on) today, 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and rbc celebrated the success of the pilot joint aboriginal outreach project launched in november 2010. the project, a joint initiative between lakehead's office of aboriginal initiatives and rbc, introduced aboriginal youth to education options and support systems at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 while strengthening rbc's relationship with the aboriginal community.

the project started when phil fontaine, former national chief of the assembly of first nations (afn), spoke to st. patrick high school 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in november 2010 in his role as special advisor to rbc. appropriately, phil fontaine has returned to close and celebrate the pilot project and to receive an honourary doctor of laws from 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 at a special afternoon convocation attended by aboriginal youth participants in the pilot program.

hundreds of aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 have come to lakehead's thunder bay campus to participate in the joint aboriginal outreach project wrap up celebration.

their day includes aspects from all directions of the medicine wheel: an emotional opening ceremony full of thanks; an interactive outdoor spiritual session; a physical session focused on traditional dance; and an intellectual experience as they listen to phil fontaine deliver his convocation address.

"it's been a good year," says beverly sabourin, vice-provost (aboriginal initiatives). "lakehead staff have organized dozens of experiences and events for aboriginal youth living in and around thunder bay and we are well pleased with the outcome of our collaboration with rbc."

over 180 aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 came to campus in april of this year to participate in aboriginal preview day for interactive discussions, presentations, and tours. carrie still, program coordinator aboriginal markets for rbc, came from winnipeg to encourage 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to stay in school and to speak to anyone interested in summer employment as part of rbc's aboriginal stay in school program.

as part of the joint aboriginal outreach project the office of aboriginal initiatives initiated a mentor program where aboriginal student volunteers received training and guidance to help them support and assist other 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . an offshoot of this initiative was the successful hammarskjold high school friendship circle lunch program where aboriginal mentors and role models shared their personal stories and where 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 could access professional resources and be alerted to upcoming events of interest.

to further engage community members in discussion and relationship building, the office of aboriginal initiatives developed an indigenous knowledge speakers series that included aboriginal and metis film nights and supported the biindigate film festival. the speaker series culminated with dr. cynthia wesley-esquimaux, who spent a month as aboriginal scholar in residence at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and managed to speak to 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 at every high school in thunder bay.

murray walberg, rbc regional vice president, northwestern region, is pleased that 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and rbc together have been able to "strengthen and build relationships with the university's existing and prospective aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . rbc has welcomed these opportunities to provide aboriginal youth with information about employment, training, and development opportunities. we have cemented friendships and look forward to creating more."

president of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , brian stevenson, inspired by the leadership of rbc senior advisor phil fontaine, says "rbc is doing an extraordinary job of reaching out and building bridges to the aboriginal community. we are grateful that they have joined with us to create and deliver the joint aboriginal outreach program that has meant so much to our region's youth. when we partner with innovative companies like rbc, we can create more opportunities for aboriginal student success."

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media: for more information or to arrange interviews, please contact janine chiasson, communications officer, at 807-343-8177 or commun@lakeheadu.ca.

about lakehead
lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. over 8,280 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and 2,000 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in orillia, and thunder bay, ontario, which is home to the west campus of the northern ontario school of medicine. 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. in orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets leadership in energy and environmental design (leed®) standards.

about lakehead university's office of aboriginal initiatives
the office of aboriginal initiatives assists the growing aboriginal population at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 in achieving its goals by providing a culturally supportive environment. the vice-provost offers leadership in aboriginal affairs and promotes and understanding of aboriginal culture, heritage, and language within the university community serving as a liaison between the aboriginal community and the university. the vice-provost is also responsible for aboriginal academic support services and aboriginal community relations.

about rbc
royal bank of canada (ry on tsx and nyse) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name rbc. it is canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. rbc is one of north america's leading diversified financial services companies, and provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. rbc employs approximately 78,000 full- and part-time employees who serve close to 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in canada, the u.s. and 51 other countries. for more information, please visit rbc.com.