Alberta's Future Leaders Program
 The
greatest resource in Alberta is our youth. They are the future
leaders of a healthy, active and prosperous province.
Developing these youth is the focus of the Alberta's Future
Leaders program
The program is based on the development
of partnerships with communities, private enterprise, non-profit
organizations and government agencies. These partnerships
were based on the shared belief that sport, recreation, art,
drama and leadership skills training can be used as a holistic
model of youth development that can also serve as prevention
and intervention tools in each community. "Working
together we can make a difference."
Background
The Alberta's Future Leaders Program began in 1996, as a pilot
project that included partnerships with seven host communities,
six corporate sponsors, and two sponsoring governing agencies.
Today, the program has been in 37 communities, involved 42 corporations
and 15 different community youth serving agencies.
Sport and Recreation for Indigenous
Youth
The program uses sport, recreation, and leadership development
as initiatives to address
the needs of Alberta's indigenous youth. This is accomplished
by providing healthy recreation for youth living in Alberta's
indigenous communities, through quality youth workers and
role models involved in sport and recreation who:
· implement summer sport, art, drama and recreation programs for
youth
· provide a summer mentor/leadership component to teach
life and leadership skills to the youth leaders in the communities.
The Benefits
Sport and recreation has been demonstrated to
help youth by:
- Improving their self-esteem
- Providing positive role models
- Teaching teamwork and social skills
- Promoting self-confidence
- Reducing risk factors for disease
- Giving youth something constructive to
do
- Providing a means of relieving stress
- Promoting positive morals and values
- Teaching cognitive, leadership, and life
skills
- Providing an opportunity for racial integration
- Enhancing cultural awareness
- Providing a sense of community
- Fostering family support
- Promoting wellness for youth
Vision
The Alberta's Future Leaders program works in partnership with communities
to positively affect the lives of Aboriginal children and youth.
Goals
-
Develop effective, mutually beneficial working partnerships with communities,
agencies and corporate sponsors that focus on addressing youth development outcomes
desired by the community.
-
Encourage ongoing development and implementation of youth recreation, sport and
culture activities in Aboriginal communities.
-
Provide leadership skill development opportunities that strengthen and empower participants.
-
Recruit, train and provide appropriate, ongoing support for AFL community summer youth workers.
-
Cooperate with and support the Alberta Foundation and
the summer Youth Workers they employ.
-
Promote the benefits of youth involvement in recreation, sport, arts and active living activities.
Principles
-
Partnerships -
"Investing in the Development of Indigenous Youth"
-
Program Sustainability
-
Building Relationships
Putting It All Together
The Alberta's Future Leader Provincial Support Committee, after
a review, selects communities to participate in the program.
Support and endorsement of community decision makers is obtained
to act as the catalyst in addressing the needs of indigenous youth.
Community leaders, elders, youth, school, RCMP, corporate
sponsors and other social serving agencies are involved.
Private and corporate sectors are approached to form a three-year
partnership in support of each community project.
Success to Date
The most significant measure of the success of the program
is whether or not the communities involved move towards self-reliance.
To date, the Alberta's Future Leaders Program has been the
key to the establishment of full-time Recreation/Youth Development
positions in Fort Chipewyan, Tsuu T'ina, Slave Lake, Janvier,
Gift Lake, Conklin (summer), Anzac (summer), Tall Cree First
Nation, Woodland Cree,
Trout Lake, Peigan, Meander River, Whitefish Lake, Edmonton
Inner City, Fishing Lake Métis
Settlement, Cold Lake and Grande Cache.
The People Who Make it Happen
Indigenous Communities. To date,
indigenous communities that have participated in the Alberta's Future Leaders
program include:
- Alexander
- Alexis
- Anzac
- Assumption (Dene Tha Nation)*
- Buffalo Lake
- Bushe River
- Cadotte Lake (Woodland Cree First Nation)
- Calling Lake
- Cold Lake
- Conklin
- Driftpile First Nation
- East Prairie
- Edmonton Inner City
- Eden Valley - Bearspaw First Nation*
- Elizabeth Métis
Settlement
- Fishing Lake
- Fort Chipewyan
* communities participating in 2007
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- Fort McKay
- Gift Lake
- Grand Cache
- Janvier*
- Kikino
- Meander River
- Morley*
- Paul First Nation*
- Peerless Lake
- Piikani
- Slave Lake
- Siksika Nation
- Sucker Creek
- Sunchild & O'Chiese
- Swan River First Nation*
- Tall Cree
- Trout Lake
- Tsuu T'ina
- Wabasca / Desmarais
- Whitefish Lake
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Private and Corporate Partners
Many private and corporate partners have been or are currently
supporting the Alberta's Future Leaders program, including:
- Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc.*
- Albian Sands*
- Alliance Pipeline Ltd.
- Amber Energy Inc.
- Apache*
- Arc Resources
- Atco Electric
- Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.*
- Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel
- ConocoPhillips*
- Crowne Plaza - Chateau Lacombe*
- Daishowa Marubeni
- Devon Canada
- EnCana*
- Enbridge*
- Fort McKay Industries Relations Corp.
- High Level Forest Products Ltd.
- Husky Energy
- Japan Canada Oilsand Limited*
- Lakeland Regional Health Authority
* partners participating in 2007
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- Marathon Canada Limited
- Municipal District of Greenview #16
- Municipal District of Opportunity #17
- National Fuel Exploration Corporation
- Northwestern Health Services Region
- Paramount Resources Ltd.
- Peace River Pulp Division
- PennWest
- Petro-Canada*
- Ramada Hotel and Conference Centre
- Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
- Renaissance Energy Ltd.
- Rotary Clubs of Edmonton
- Shell Canada Limited
- Suncor Energy Foundation*
- Suncor Energy Ltd.
- Syncrude Canada Ltd.*
- Tolko Industries Ltd.*
- TransAlta*
- Ventus Energy
- West Energy
- Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd.
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Provincial and Federal Agencies
- Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife
Foundation
- Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
- Alberta Health and Wellness
- Alberta Justice and Attorney General
- Alberta Solicitor General
- Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry
- Alberta Foundation for the Arts
- Alberta International, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Relations
- Health Canada
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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