Public Education & Communications
Public Education
Understanding Our Rights
Public Education and Communications educates First Nations citizens, and the public at large, by distributing expert research and knowledge tools to help us understand First Nation history and our inherent rights.
The Centre helps First Nation citizens understand our right to self-governance and our right to benefit from our lands. These rights are inherent. Their origins come from our occupation and jurisdiction over the land before contact with Europeans. Our rights are recognized in the Constitution of Canada and have been consistently upheld and advanced when challenged in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Understanding Effective Governance
Public Education and Communications helps First Nations to understand and implement effective governance by distributing a range of learning tools.
The Centre bases effective governance on five important pillars. They are:
- The People
- The Land
- Laws and Jurisdiction
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Institutions
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Resources
These pillars blend the traditional principles and values of our respective nations with the modern realities of self-governance. They convey the inter-relationships between governance, the people, and the land. The Centre's learning tools are modeled on these pillars.
Community Engagement
Effective governance depends on citizen participation. First Nations citizens have to attend community meetings, participate in developing a community vision and contribute to constitution building. We must understand issues, vote in referendums and ratify laws.
Public Education and Communications develops workshops and learning tools to assist First Nations with communication planning at the community level. This planning can play a key role in helping citizens understand governance issues and participate in the governance process.