Resources

Aurora Virtual School is Yukon’s Distributed Learning (DL) school. As such, we are the newest public school program in the Territory.  At AVS, our programs meet all territorially mandated learning outcomes and are directed by highly trained, Yukon-certified, teachers.  

At AVS, we provide what has commonly been known as “distributed learning.” A more apt and current descriptor would be eLearning.  This is when a student is primarily at a distance from the teacher, and can be accomplished anywhere there is access to an Internet connection.  This means a student could be working at home, in another school, a public library or abroad. 

The Working UP program can help you:

• take the next steps toward your work or learning goals;
• improve literacy and essential skills;
• increase your workplace skills and experience, including apprenticeship;
• get workplace or learning support; and
• explore options for self-employment.

The Canadian Forces Aboriginal Entry Program (CFAEP) is a special three-week course for Indigenous peoples who are considering a career in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). During the program, you will get hands-on experience with military training, careers and lifestyle.

You do not have to join the CAF after completing the three weeks. At the end of the program, you will receive $1,200 and a certificate of military achievement.

The course takes place at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec and at Canadian Forces Base Halifax, Nova Scotia. We provide transportation to and from the training centre, living accommodations, food, clothing and all equipment for the course. At the end of the course, if you choose to join the CAF, you will return home until the next available Basic Training course starts.

What you will learn

You will learn about the long and proud history of Indigenous peoples in Canada’s military and take part in exercises similar to Basic Training, such as:

• morning inspections
• daily physical fitness and sports
• navigation with compass and maps
• basic weapons training
• military drill

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) offers five summer training programs that combine military lifestyle with cultural awareness: Bold Eagle, Raven, Black Bear, Carcajou (Wolverine) and Grey Wolf. Participants will be enrolled into the CAF for the duration of the programs.

Bold Eagle is an Army program open to Indigenous people living in Western Canada or Northwestern Ontario. Participants train in Wainwright, Alberta.

Raven is a Navy program open to Indigenous people from across Canada. Participants train in Esquimalt, British Columbia.

Black Bear is an Army program open to Indigenous people from across Canada. Participants train in Oromocto, New Brunswick.

Carcajou is an Army program open to Indigenous people living across Canada and is delivered in French. Participants train in Valcartier, Québec.

Grey Wolf is an Army program open to Indigenous people living across Ontario. Participants train in Meaford, Ontario.

The CAF arranges travel to and from the program and provides living accommodations, food, clothing and equipment for the participants. While in the programs, participants are CAF members and are paid as a Private while they are attending the programs. Upon completion, the participants can choose to release from the CAF or to remain enrolled and transfer into the Reserve Force, the Regular force or into a Canadian Rangers Patrol Group (CRPG).

These six-week long programs give participants a taste of military training with the option to continue on with a career in the CAF. The training received is taught by military instructors and participants come away with an Army Reserve Basic Military Qualification course.

Subjects include:

• general military knowledge;
• weapons handling;
• navigation;
• First Aid;
• drill; and
• survival skills.

All five summer training programs begin with a culture camp. The camp is designed to ease the transition from civilian to the military lifestyle, and focuses on common spiritual traditions and teachings. All culture camps are led by Elders of different Indigenous groups.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible to participate in the programs, candidates must:

• have completed at least Grade 10 or Secondaire IV in Quebec;
• be at least 16 years old; and
• be an Indigenous person (First Nation, status or non-status, Metis, or Inuit).

To apply to a summer training program, we encourage you to get in touch with our program coordinators as well as the staff at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Center in your area for information. They will be able to answer questions and help walk you through the online application process. Our program coordinators can also provide paper application forms, if needed.

The application is due by the 30th of April each year so that all the arrangements can be made in time for the beginning of the programs in July.

Community Education and Employment Support is a unique, culturally relevant program which will prepare you to effectively function in front-line education and employment support roles within First Nation governments and other organizations. You will gain the knowledge and skills required to support individuals through their education and employment pathways.

The program consists of 10, 3-credit courses that can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. The first course is offered face-to-face (September 9-13, 2019), while all other courses may be accessed through a combination of online and blended delivery options to allow students to access the program from their communities. 

Students will build knowledge and skills to apply in practice and will develop relationships with their cohort that will enhance resources, sharing, support, and mentorship opportunities.

Coursework Topics:

• Wellness and Self-Care
• Communication
• Computer and Office Fundamentals
• Case Management
• Professionalism and Ethics
• Project Management and Event Planning
• Further exploration into a specific area of interest in the field of education and employment support, through an elective course and a capstone project

Admission Requirements:

• English 11; OR 
• Mature student status with acceptable scores on College Assessments and Computer Placement Test.

Career Opportunities:

The Community Education and Employment Support program will prepare graduates for increased capacity and employment in communities as front-line staff such as:

• Community Education Liaison Coordinators (CELC)
• Education Support Workers (ESW)
• Education Outreach Coordinators (EOC)
• Employment Training Officers (ETO)

The program is also an opportunity for employed individuals to take courses as part of their professional development plan.   

Use this practical tool to identify your organizations strengths and weaknesses and plan strategically to build capacity. This tool guides you through a capacity assessment with tips, advice and worksheets.

This is a made-in-Yukon capacity assessment tool recognizing the unique Yukon governance landscape. It is based on local First Nation knowledge and recommendations, and on existing capacity assessment tools. It is designed to be an informative and practical tool that can be used at the departmental level within a government.

This tool was developed based on the recommendations from the Carcross Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dun First Nation, and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation governments.

How to use the tool

The Capacity Assessment Tool includes an online-interactive work book and a the hard-copy work book.

There are five steps to consider and each step guides the department through a capacity assessment process.

1. Organize and Plan helps with planning before conducting the assessment. It also involves determining and identifying a facilitator.
2. Conduct Capacity Assessment is the work you need to do to complete a capacity assessment.
3. Summarize and Interpret Results pulls all the information gathered into one organized document.
4. Implement Recommendations moves actions forward and helps determine who is responsible for those actions.
5. Evaluate allows participants to evaluate the assessment and determine how well it worked for the department.

Why do a Capacity Assessment?

Capacity is the power of a person, system or government to perform or produce. It is the ability of individuals or government units such as departments, to perform functions successfully.

Capacity assessment is a process to determine the existing ability of the government and its ability to perform required government functions.

The findings of a capacity assessment process can be the foundation for any of the following:

To inform future planning:

• Strategic plan
• Budget plan
• Work plan

To identify requirements for departmental realignment (to meet goals and objectives of a strategic plan) operations, improvements or areas of strength:

• Staff
• Skills
• Departmental knowledge

To plan for future change:

• Transition
• Succession planning
• Reorganization
• Project planning
• Enhance staff training
• Educational
• Partnerships (First Nation government, Yukon College, Government of Yukon, etc.)

The First Nations Communications Toolkit is a unique resource jointly developed by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada – Yukon Region and Tewanee Consulting Group. The toolkit was originally developed in 2007 and continues to provide a good basic overview of communications planning, activities and tools. While the fundamentals of communication such as engaging your audience and developing clear messages have not changed, some aspects continue to evolve. As a result, this edition of the toolkit has been updated to reflect changes in communications practices, particularly the use of social media tools.

This toolkit was designed explicitly for First Nations communicators and is based on input from First Nations communicators and administrators working for First Nations organizations. It offers information on many topics, including communications planning, publications, events and media relations, from a First Nations’ perspective. The best practices and practical lessons learned that have been included in the toolkit are drawn from Tewanee Joseph’s experience working on communications projects with over 30 First Nation communities.

Need resources to teach people about Yukon First Nations land claims and self-government agreements in your school, home or workplace?

Need to know how these agreements are making a difference for all Yukoners? Want to share stories about how Yukon is mapping the way?

Mapping the Way has a variety of educational resources available including infographics, videos, podcasts, displays and articles. Check out a Catalogue of Mapping the Way educational resources, and explore the Mapping the Way website.

Mapping the Way is a public education partnership initiative between the 11 self-governing Yukon First Nations, the Council of Yukon First Nations, and the governments of Yukon and Canada to celebrate and raise awareness about Yukon First Nation land claims and self-government.

This PDF provides detailed descriptions of the trades available in the Yukon, as well as the schooling and apprenticing hours required for each trade. Also included is a list of resources for available jobs and various funding options for apprenticeships. 

Mint.com offers several free budget templates, as well as downloadable software, online lessons and plenty of information about budgeting, bill tracking, saving and more.