Thank you very much, Mr. Cannan.
Yes, education is one of the hallmarks, one of the pillars, of what's needed in our community here, and yes, we do work with the Okanagan College, for example. One of our council members, Councillor Loretta Swite, is a board member there and has direct input into some of the planning and some of the priorities that need to be advocated. That direct involvement allows for the Okanagan College to hear our needs, I think, to hear about what needs to take place, and allows for it to help provide support.
As well, we provide support to our students. We have dollars that we look to in order to supplement our students getting into these programs. Trades and the apprentices needed are one focus, and there are the academics, of course. All of the areas have to be covered.
We work very closely, we believe, with UBCO, the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Even something like their addition here, where they now have an aboriginal centre component within the university itself, provides a means to address issues when and where they arise. The Okanagan Nation Alliance is a culmination of six bands in British Columbia, Westbank being one of them. We work very closely through that group to work and align ourselves with the Okanagan College, and of course UBCO, in some of the programming.
I think that input and that involvement of some of our cultural language speakers and so forth are important in the overall education system. I think that has met with a lot of success.
What's important is a lot of curriculum development. Some of that curriculum development to encompass aboriginal needs is something that now the universities and colleges seem to be listening to. I think we've made some strides and some headway at that level in incorporating it into the curriculum planning of the schools. I think those have all been positive things.
The youth and the support of the youth are fundamental, so when we have graduations, to have the councils there, to have the parents there, to have that recognition, those are all stimulants that show the upcoming youth how to say, “If they can do it, then we can do it.” There are steps in that regard. There are things like having the aboriginal graduation of Métis and status peoples and having the sharing of that celebration of success. I think those are all positive avenues towards education. We contribute dollars to help put on these events. All of them are stimulants to education.