March 4, 2015 for immediate release
The Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council (KTC) is a First Nation organization in North Central Alberta that is comprised of the Loon River First Nation, Lubicon Lake Band, Peerless Trout First Nation, Whitefish Lake First Nation and the Woodland Cree First Nation.
KTC’s total population is expected to surpass 5800 people. They are comprised of a growing young population where 65% are under the age of 35. The leadership of these Nations are proactive and support the development of initiatives that promote education, training and skills development for their youth.
In December of 2014, the Executive Chiefs of KTC passed a motion to support the coordination and implementation of a youth gathering where high school students from the member Nations would gather to explore educational opportunities, visit and tour post-secondary institutions and where they could provide input and feedback into the development of a KTC Health Human Resource Strategy.
Grand Chief Arthur Noskey states. “I fully support the efforts of this…initiative which aims to inform and encourage our youth for post-secondary considerations in health”.
Vice Chief Billy Joe Laboucan adds, “Any project such as this that can help our students make informed decisions about their future and how they will become strong, independent members of our Nation will benefit our students, our schools, and the community at large”.
Sixty-six high school students from the member Nations gathered in Edmonton this week and visited the University of Alberta, Concordia College & University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and Grant MacEwan University, tomorrow, March 5th, 2015 the youth gathering will wrap up and culminate in a working session where these students will be facilitated through a series of questions to guide the development of KTC Health Human Resource strategy.
On March 5, 2015 at 5:45 pm, KTC will host the closing ceremony and banquet at the West Harvest Inn on Stony Plain Road where Vice Chief of KTC and Chief of the Lubicon Lake Band, Billy Joe Laboucan and Vice Chief of KTC and Chief of the Whitefish Lake First Nation, Robert (Jessie) Grey will offer up a thank-you, closing remarks and encourage the youth who participated to learn from this week and take away the experience to consider post-secondary studies.
This youth initiative will serve to assist the member Nations of KTC in their efforts toward self-sufficiency. This collaboration took the collective efforts of an interdisciplinary planning committee in addition to KTC Education, Health, Aboriginal Skills Employment and Training Strategy, Whitefish Band Office Administration, Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, Alberta Jobs Skills and Training and the Northland School Division # 61.
For more information or clarification please contact:
Vince Dikaitis, Career Counseling Specialist, KTC Education @ 780 720 – 1374 or vince.dikaitis@ktcadmin.ca
Or
Al Rollins, Chief Executive Officer, KTC @ 780 910 -5249 or ceo@ktcadmin.ca
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