Innovations is a program that concentrates on results rather than numbers. The program offers Six Nations Band Members receiving social assistance at Six Nations, the opportunity to deal with challenges such as maintaining and finding employment. The program relieves dependency on welfare by offering assistance in identifying and addressing barriers to employment.

Assistance is provided by developing and following through with a plan of action. Career counselling, job search and interview training, and assistance with job applications is also provided. There are also pre-employment programs and referrals to other resources. Innovations will help clients: prepare for work, become job ready, increase employability, learn new skills, update old skills, develop resumes, write cover letters, set goals, and define job objectives.

For the last five years Innovations has been funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's (INAC) Demonstration Project, with additional funding the last three years from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) through Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT). INAC's Demonstration Project ends in March 2003, but Innovations will continue with funding from GREAT.

The program coordinator at Innovations is Helen Miller, who has over nine years of experience working with Social Assistance, and employment and training issues. She identifies several keys to the success of the program: an open door policy, location at the welfare building, availability of resources, programming that meets the needs of social assistance recipients, and staff who can relate to social assistance recipients.

A second year student at Mohawk College, Margaret Bomberry is in the Native Community Care program - Substance Abuse stream. Courses in the program include pharmacology, traditional Native health practices, behavioural sciences, and counselling.
She is also a graduate of the Pre-Employment program offered at the Achievement Centre and funded by Grand River Employment and Training. Ms. Bomberry is currently completing her placement at the Acheivement Centre, located at Six Nations Polytechnic.

The success of Mohawk College's Native Community Care program is attributed to the excellent instructors who use real examples from their own lives to which students can easily relate.

The Native Community Care program has three streams: Community Care, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health. Margaret Bomberry's interest in the substance abuse stream was piqued when she was younger and living in Texas. One day while walking to work at a recreation centre, the realization set in that the children at the nearby park, some as young as three, were not drinking pop, but were sniffing paint and gas. The situation changed to one where Bomberry brought children from the park with her to work at the recreation centre, and so began her then informal career in community care.

Ms. Bomberry's enthusiasm for the Pre-employment program is evident as she explains how the program helped her during her first year at Mohawk College. "Three weeks after the end of first year I found out I had made the Dean's List." The only barrier to returning to school on a full-time basis was getting a child care provider; child care had never been as issue before. "I never went anywhere, or when I did go somewhere my daughter came with me," said Bomberry.

The G.R.E.A.T.- funded Pre-employment program has different components, life skills, literacy (English and math), and assistance with resumes, cover letters, and interview techniques. Marjorie Henhawk, the workshop facilitator at Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT) conducted mock interviews, going through examples of both a good and a bad job interview. Goal setting was another element of the program, and working on speeches and speaking in front of the class.

The overall experience for many who have taken the program has been positive. Having completed the program, students continue to stop in, and share their accomplishments. An idea proposed by Bomberry was to organize a reunion for graduates, an opportunity to gather and see how people are doing.

Students of the program have included single parents and people receiving social assistance. The Pre-employment program was developed with Six Nations Literacy, Life Is Simple, and the Innovations program. The growth in the participants is evident in the 12 week period. Some will arrive with negative attitudes because enrolling in the program was deemed mandatory by a caseworker, but will leave with a new outlook. According to Ms. Bomberry, the Pre-Employment program offered at the Achievement Centre is excellent, "I would recommend it to anyone I know."

This year the Student Office has secured a permanent office in the GREAT Opportunity Centre where we hope to employ a record number of students with career related experience that will be beneficial for the future employment of our Community. The Student Office is presently open to all students Monday-Friday 4:30-6:00 p.m. Students can come in and register, check out the job board and get some helpful tips on resume, cover letter writing and interview techniques.

The Student Office is currently taking Employer Applications for the Summer Job Service (SJS) program, which offers a wage subsidy to employers willing to hire Six Nations students. Interested employers can pick-up applications at reception. The Student Office also offers a program entitled the ODD JOB Squad, which is a database of students willing to do those tasks that you are just too busy to get to. Businesses and community members can call in job orders to be filled by students. For more information on any of these programs and services contact Amber at
(519) 445-2222.