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:

AFCP

AFCP Application 2008-2009 (Word Format)

 

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.

UMAYC

UMAYC Guidelines (Word Format)
UMAYC Application (Word Format)

The Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres Initiative (UMAYC) 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 UMAYC 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.

Please contact the ANFCA office directly to discuss if your organization’s eligibility to apply for funding through UMAYC.

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.

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.