CENTRES CULTURELS

FIRST NATIONS CONFEDERACY OF CULTURAL EDUCATION CENTRES

The First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres is a national organization representing First Nations Cultural Centres in Canada.

The vision of the organization is to work with member centres to reinforce the revitalization of first languages, culture retention and traditional knowledge.

THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATON AND ITS ROLE

• 38 years as a successful, not-for-profit corporation created and run by First Nations.
• Cultural Education Centres was born out of Indian Control of Indian Education.
• FNCCEC - First Nation-created, directed by & accountable to its First Nation members.
• Has formal linkages with the Assembly of First Nations but is an independent entity.
• Cultural Education Centres/Programs serve 450 First Nation communities situated in each province and territory.
• Cultural Centres reflect the diversity of First Nations across Canada.
• FNCCEC operates as a national organization with a national office core operations providing support to cultural centres, First Nations communities and schools, mainstream provincial schools, aboriginal organizations and public at large.
• Current activities highlights include; protection and promotion of First Nations languages, support for cultural programs to band & provincial schools, operates cultural advocacy program, repatriation initiatives, and various research primarily in education and language rights. 

ROLE OF CULTURE IN EDUCATION 

• Studies confirm First Nations cultural access, practice & preservation are essential to success in education, governance, economic development, health, healing & it contributes significantly to suicide prevention.
• Cultural education must be integrated into the curriculum, not just as an add-on.
• Improved educational outcomes are subject to systems development, enhanced second level services, greater First Nations control and governance; and, overall increased investments.
• A key component of second level services is cultural education support.
• Band and Provincial schools depend on Cultural Centres for content and culturally relevant curriculum development.
• Cultural Centres devote more than fifty percent (50%) of their activities to curriculum development and to providing cultural resources for schools.
• A core group of experienced and qualified curriculum developers is part of the Cultural Centres network.

ROLE OF CULTURAL EDUCATION CENTRES IN COMMUNITY-BASED LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

• Cultural centres produce a variety of resources including materials to support language and culture curricula, dictionaries/ grammar texts, publications aimed at various ages, periodicals and newsletters, oral histories, traditional knowledge, narratives, discourses, audio/visual resources, internet web pages & materials for museums, archives, resource centres, libraries and schools.
• Cultural revival has become a priority issue to heal the effects of residential schools & cultural centres inherited the duty of addressing these needs
• The request for services filled by cultural centres at the local level continue to grow at tremendous rates
• Cultural centres are the delivery agents of programming for culture and languages initiatives
• There is a need for First Nations language legislation to ensure communities have the tools to protect, preserve, promote, and practice ancestral languages
• FNCCEC supports legislation as a means to establish and maintain community-based programs