Huu-ay-aht First Nations provides a school supply allowance for students entering Kindergarten and Grades 1 through 12. Apply before September 30th to either government office to receive this benefit. Take into account that the school supplies allowance is issued from August 15th until September 30th. So, the forms may be submitted via fax, e-mail, mail or in person to government offices.
Please download the .docx form here
HFN encourages Huu-ay-aht children to attend school regularly. Regular attendance in school helps children keep up with their studies and peers, makes it easier to learn to read and can build a child’s confidence. Good attendance in school also sets the stage for the rest of their lives to do well in high school, college and at work.
Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ students completing Grade 1 through 12 are eligible to apply for attendance recognition at the end of every school year. Please submit attendance summary for entire academic year (September 2014 – June 2015).
HFN also recognizes academic achievement for students who have completed Grades 4 through 12 with a GPA of at least 6.0 (a “B” average). Please submit all marks from the academic year (individual report cards or year-end summary of marks).
Huu-ay-aht citizens may apply for the 2015 student recognition program until September 30, 2015.
Recognition rate is based on grade level & attendance of 10 months/185 days in a school year
Grades 1 through 9: $10.00 / month = $ 100.00
Grades 10 through 12: $20.00 /month = $ 200.00
If you have any Question/Concerns, please contact the Secondary & Post-Secondary Education Coordinator at the Port Alberni Huu-ay-aht Government Office. Forms may be mailed, faxed, or scanned and e-mailed.
Forms:
E-form (Please remember to email the attachments to education@huuayaht.org)
Huu-ay-aht is committed to move the Nation forward. Let us know how we can help you achieve your goals by filling out this form:
E-form:
Spring has been a busy time for the Education Department at Huu-ay-aht First Nations as we begin ramping up efforts to develop partnerships and programs to support Huu-ay-aht citizens’ education, training, and future employment.
On May 25th, 27th, 28th and June 1, Huu-ay-aht hosted our Education and Training Roadshow in Anacla, Port Alberni, Nanaimo and Vancouver.
The Huu-ay-aht Education Department would like to thank those who attended the Education Roadshow and also share information with those who could not attend. The purpose of the Roadshow was to look for candidates to fill seats for trades programs.
For 2015-2016, Huu-ay-aht has funding for living allowance, tuition, and support for students. This arrangement is unique as before the living allowance was not funded for trades programs. Huu-ay-aht sees the need for trades jobs that are in demand now and even more so in the next five to ten years as the Nation explores potential projects such as the Trans-Shipment Container Hub and LNG facility at Sarita Bay.
Regardless of whether the two major projects that Huu-ay-aht are exploring go ahead or not, with our growing community and the aging population of baby boomers there is going to be a huge demand for jobs in trades, healthcare, and service industries. Huu-ay-aht would like to be prepared so that Huu-ay-aht citizens benefit from future employment opportunities. At the same time as recruiting for trades, we are looking to see what your interests are, where your education is, where you would like to be, and support you in whatever direction you would choose.
Our efforts to connect with Huu-ay-aht citizens were accompanied by outreach to education and training stakeholders in the Alberni Valley. On May 26th, the Education Department co-hosted an Education Forum with the City of Port Alberni, which was held at the North Island College Port Alberni campus. The forum highlighted growing and emerging industries in the Alberni Valley and addressed ways of fostering education and training opportunities to support local employment in these industries. While this day allowed us to begin to build partnerships and generate action strategies for employment readiness in the region, this work will continue to be carried out over the coming months and years with the newly formed Alberni Valley Learning Council which includes representatives from the City of Port Alberni, local employment support agencies, educational institutions, and industry.
At both the Education Roadshow for Huu-ay-aht citizens and the Education Forum for local stakeholders in education, we shared the Huu-ay-aht Strategic Plan, which highlights where Huu-ay-aht wants to be in 20 years, as defined by our mission, vision, and the following five posts: Our People will be free from the negative effects of colonization; Our Children will grow up safe, healthy, connected to the community and exemplify Huu-ay-aht values; Our Home will be a safe, healthy and appealing place where half of our people choose to live; Our Land will continue to provide sustainable wealth that respects the Huu-ay-aht values of conservation; Our Economy will be operated sustainably and will be the major employer in the region and the major source of revenue for the Nation. We felt that it was important to share Huu-ay-aht’s vision for the future with both the stakeholders in the Alberni Valley and Huu-ay-aht citizens, so that we can all pull together and work together as one. To achieve these strategic goals in 20 years, we are going to need the support of Huu-ay-aht government, our citizens, neighboring First Nations and stakeholders of the Alberni Valley.
In the coming weeks, the Education Department will be calling out to Huu-ay-aht citizens to recruit for trades programs and post-secondary. If you have any questions in regards to post-secondary or trades programs please do not hesitate to contact Brent Ronning, Post-secondary Education Coordinator, at brent.r@huuayaht.org or 778-421-1022. For more information about steps you can take to advance your education and pursue a career of interest, click here http://huuayaht.org/who-we-are/organizational-chart/community-services-2/trades-training/.
In 20 years, our children will grow up safe, healthy, connected to the community and exemplify Huu-ay-aht values. Huu-ay-aht First Nations wants to take the fate of the next generation into its own hands.
The Nation is working on a Child and Family Services program that will eventually lead to a “made-by-Huu-ay-aht” system to support its children. The goal is to offer a full range of services to families in order to provide support, education and services for raising healthy children. This will be a preventative model that will have the goal on ensuring children and families do not become involved with the child protection system.
“We know the foster system is broken,” explains Kathy Waddell, Director of Community Services. “This is an opportunity to do something about it and have a lasting effect on our children.”
She explains that by creating a foster care system of its own, Huu-ay-aht can help families and improve their lives, especially the ones at risk of entering the system.
“We can offer families the support they need early on so that their children don’t end up in care,” she says. “Instead of putting out fires, we will be putting in preventative measures like education and support services building resiliency and skills in families. The Huu-ay-aht system will also ensure that the children who do need to be in care will not fall through the cracks.”
The program is being funded in part by a multi-year Generations Fund that was made possible by an initial unconditional contribution from Steelhead LNG. This funding will support the early stages of development for the program.
Through community consultation, led by the Huu-ay-aht government, citizens have identified that the health and wellness of Huu-ay-aht children, and providing them with safe, nurturing environments in which they will thrive is of utmost importance.
In 2014, the Nation hired a Children and Family Services Coordinator to help offer more in-person support to families. The coordinator will continue to work in this way through the expanded program, with the goal of promoting the health of the Huu-ay-aht community and assisting in the implementation its own foster care system.
“We want to work hard with families to get children back into their own parents’ care or make sure if they go into provincial care they remain connected to Huu-ay-aht First Nations and have all they need,” Waddell says. “We want to make sure they grow up having a connection to their families, culture, and community. They will grow up knowing Huu-ay-aht values and expectations.”
The program is still in the preliminary phase, but it is a top priority for the Nation this year. Much of the work will begin in the next couple of months. The first phase will involve a lot of planning, and then a social worker and legal team will be hired. Once some of the logistics of the program are in place, the community services team will start spreading the word and offering more details on what is involved and required to make the program a success.
If you are a family or parent in need of support or struggling in any way, call the Community Services Department at 778-421-1022 and talk with the Child and Family Services Coordinator.