Education News (January 01, 2007)

Award-winning video aimed at First Nations

The Ontario Mining Association’s First Nations video “Mining New Opportunities” and education kit were recently given honourable mention ranking in the Conference Board of Canada’s Community Learning Awards, in the “Learning Opportunities for Aboriginals” category.

“‘Mining New Opportunities’ presents Aboriginal communities with information about the availability of skill development and employment opportunities in mining,” according to the IdeaBook of the Conference Board of Canada. “The entire package, which is produced in five languages–Cree, Oji-Cree, Ojibway, French and English–employs information and communications technology to reach its primary audience of young people living in Aboriginal communities in Ontario.”

The video was produced for the OMA by Big Soul Productions, an Aboriginal-owned and -operated business. The project was completed with the support of OMA members and related organizations including the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, with funding support from FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. The OMA’s objective was to produce useful educational resource materials that would help classroom teachers and their students. Check out the OMA website, www.oma.on.ca, to view the video under the Education panel. The Mining New Opportunities Teacher’s Guide and Speaker’s Resource is also available as a PDF document.