Friendship Centres

The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association is committed to providing the highest caliber of services and supports to community-based Friendship Centres. As part of this ongoing commitment, the ANFCA offers a range of key services to member Friendship Centres.

The ANFCA offers and/or administers the following key programs which are instrumental in the ongoing success of community-based Friendship Centre operations:

Aboriginal Friendship Centre Program (AFCP)

 

The Aboriginal Friendship Centre Program (AFCP) is a federal program funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage. It provides Friendship Centres across Canada with stable operational funding that allows them to offer continuous programs and services to their Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members. The main goal of the AFCP is to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal Peoples who reside in urban areas by supporting self-determined activities which encourage equal access to and participation in Canadian society; and which respect and strengthen the increasing emphasis on Aboriginal cultural distinctiveness.

The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) is responsible for supervising the AFCP in Alberta and it plays a key role in ensuring that Alberta Friendship Centre meets the management and administrative requirements of the AFCP.

Alberta Provincial Grant - Alberta Aboriginal Relations

Business Plan Guide

 

The Government of Alberta has been supporting Alberta Friendship Centres for over 17 years. The ANFCA works closely with the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations to assist Friendship Centres with the development of business plans and annual reports. The purpose of this work is to better communicate to the public the important role that Friendship Centres play in communities throughout Alberta.

The Ministry of Aboriginal Relations provides each Friendship Centre in Alberta with annual funding of $26,000 to assist with cultural programs and other initiatives designed by local centres.

Friendship Centre Management

An array of tools and resources are available through and from the ANFCA offices that can assist in the successful management of community based Friendship Centres. These supports include Executive Director Orientation Training, Interim Management Support, Crisis Intervention and Management.

Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth (CCAY) formerly known as "Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres Initiative (UMAYC)"

CCAY is a federal program funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage. It is designed to provide urban Aboriginal youth with a wide range of culturally based projects, services and activities that are locally controlled and designed in conjunction with Aboriginal youth. Year-to-year projects, services and activities are structured in a manner that empower Aboriginal youth to address the challenges they face and determine their own future with a sense of pride in a safe and culturally relevant environment.


The overall goal of the CCAY Initiative is to create a network of urban multipurpose Aboriginal youth centres that will provide accessible and culturally relevant and supportive projects, programs, services and counselling to urban Aboriginal youth, and facilitate their participation in existing programs in order to improve their economic, social and personal prospects. The Initiative is in support of measures that equip and encourage urban Aboriginal youth, regardless of status, culture or gender, to meet their challenges and improve their life prospects.

Edmonton Aboriginal Transition Initiative

March 31, 2010 – The ANFCA acknowledges the financial assistance the Office of the Federal Interlocutor (OFI) provided for this stage of the Edmonton Aboriginal Transition Initiative (EATI). This funding allowed ANFCA to provide Consultants to engage 1) Edmonton Aboriginal community members about their experience(s) related to the programs and services they require within the first 48 hours to 7 days of transitioning to Edmonton, and 2) Edmonton Aboriginal service agencies about services currently provided, gaps in services and service delivery partnerships. These consultations showed us that community members want and need support with housing, transportation, medical services, cultural teachings and finding employment. In addition to the inherent complexities of applying, qualifying and affording programs are the challenges of learning what programs and services are out there and to whom they are available. At the same time, Aboriginal service agencies are faced with offering increased services to a growing population while receiving less funding from historical funding sources (as are all non-profit agencies). These findings, and more, are in the EATI Community Needs Assessment Final Report (see link). People cited the frustrations of being referred from one agency to another and traveling long distances across the city as reasons for developing a “one stop shop” delivery of services location/entity. Aboriginal service agency representatives also mentioned this possibility while asserting a need for positive interagency working relationships and partnerships. The EATI Service Access and Coordination Strategy provides examples of urban Aboriginal centres and an examination of how this may be developed in Edmonton (see link). Copies of these documents were presented to the Office of the Federal Interlocutor, members of the Stakeholders Advisory Group – Edmonton, the National Association of Friendship Centers and to those who attended a recent community gathering. There are limited copies available for community representatives at the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association office.

Common Ground: Relationship Building Framework

December 1, 2008 - The ANFCA is pleased that the Rural Alberta's Development Fund (RADF) has recently announced their support for the ANFCA's Common Ground initiative. A $272,330 funding contribution from RADF and $40,000 from Alberta Aboriginal Relations has allowed the ANFCA to develop a relationship plan and tool kit for use by Friendship Centres, Aboriginal groups, communities and municipal governments. This program is being piloted in High Prairie, Slave Lake, Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House. Phase II of Common Ground commenced in February 2009.

New Dawn Rising Project

January 5, 2009 - The ANFCA is pleased to announce that Health Canada approved approximately $163,000 in funding for the ANFCA's New Dawn Rising Project. This funding is being made available by way of Health Canada's Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund (DSCIF). Without this generous support, the delivery of the New Dawn Rising Project would not be possible.

Follow this link in order to view the project summary:

 

The Sacred Circle Project - CONCLUDED

Press Release - January 23, 2009: Alberta Health Services (Edmonton Area) and the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) have signed a letter of agreement to create the Sacred Circle project. The project will create a set of culturally-relevant and age-specific type 2 diabetes resources for Alberta’s Aboriginal children ages 8-12 years old. Project resources will be produced collaboratively between the Aboriginal Urban Diabetes Initiative (AUDI) of the ANFCA and the Holistic Interactive Program (HIP) to be Healthy project, including the Ways of Life for Families (WOLF) program, of the Aboriginal Diabetes Wellness Program of Alberta Health Services.

For more information click here:

Board Development – Building Healthy Boards

As part of the ANFCA’s ongoing commitment to Alberta-based Friendship Centres, the ANFCA ensures that Friendship Centres have access to regular Board Development Training Sessions and Strategic Planning Sessions. For Centres that are interested in participating in this community-based training, please contact the ANFCA directly for more information.

Building Healthy Boards – Self Directed Board Training. Each quarter, the ANFCA will make a learning module available for individual boards to review and undertake. Each module is based on one topic of interest and can be easily administered at the local level without additional resources required.

Grandmothers' Project - CONCLUDED

Winter Nimama - Aboriginal Mothers Traditional Parenting Program

This program was FREE

Description: Elders' Teachings & Storytelling and Fine Craft Lessons

Course duration: Mon., February 04 to Fri., March 07, 2008
(Class begins at 10:00 am until 2:00 pm)

When: Monday, Wednesday, & Fridays (15 sessions in total)

 

Sponsored By:

Cultural Capitals of Canada
Canada
Canadian Heritage
City of Edmonton
Edmonton Arts Council
Status of Women Canada
Urban Aboriginal Strategy
Alberta Craft Council