Weekend went away, it is 5.30 in the morning and it is raining, Most of you three hours ago said goodbye to the sheets.
Most of the keynote speakers today will refer to the difficulties that the indigenous community and peoples afford not only in Canada but also all over the world.
The presenter using a very graphic and well done video, gives us a wide view about the difficulties faced by indigenous people in Canada and on the educational outcomes of indigenous communities. The result is devastating, you get goose bumps when you see that most of them do not get to graduate, compared to non-indigenous students they do not have the same opportunities to get jobs at the same level, or end the studies under the same conditions. It is a big surprise for me but I think it is a big surprise also for a lot of delegates from Canada.
The first two speakers are very interesting:
Mary Simon, OC, QC, President Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
If the video was devastating, Mary´s speech is not less, she greets the audience in Inuit language and starts her story, reminding the times when they were punished if they spoke Inuit at school. Very familiar situation for Basque people at the same period. She wants to have hope but at the same time is very concerned about the lack of money and even about the lack of responsibility of the governments.
The second keynote speaker is Ms Yasna Provoste Campillay, former minister of planing and education with the government of Michelle Bachelet. She has had some contacts with the previous Basque Government in 2005 and 2006. Her speech about the indigenous communities in Chile and they conditions they are suffering now, the discrimination for the language gives her the possibility to provoke the audience. She starts speaking in Spanish and maintains the speech for some minutes. Then asks to the audience: "Did you feel uncomfortable?. That is the way the indigenous communities fell when we speak to them" Very interesting speech
Then there is a round table on the topic "Serving Indigenous Peoples and Communities" Three different but interesting approaches to the topic. Daniel Christmas The case of Mi´kmaq community in Nova Scottia, Rustum Southwell the case of black business initiative, also in Canada and very intertesting also, Kelly J. Lendsay, President and CEO, Aboriginal Human Resource Council.
At 10.45 it is our time to present TKNIKA and the project RAINOVA. We are introduced by Dr Nicholas Tubidge, president and CEO, College of the Rockies.
Previous to our specch it is the turn of Dr Joao Sobrinho Teixeira, President of Instituto Politecnico da Braganca and president of th Condelho Coordenador dos institutos Superiores Politecnicos de Portugal. He gives us a wide view of the educational system in Portugal.
I start our presentation greeting the audience in Basque languag, more than 100 people, eight tables at the same time, and giving thanks for being invited. I talk about the first international cooperation between Basque fishermen and Mi´kmaq aborigines starting early 16th century and maintained for more than 200 years. You know that the used to go for fishing, mainly code fish and wahales and established with the Mi´k maq a kind of friendly trade. Some of them know about it, and it is a surprise for the rest. Then I take a look at the reasons that prompted the project RAINOVA and talk during 20 minutes about the model we are working with in TKNIKA. Sylvain in French, continues with the presentation talking about the project RAINOVA and gives a wide view about the possibilities this project opens for future collaborations in the field of projects of innovation. There are a lot of questions to be answered and when we finish I have the impression that the audience understood the importance of the model and the importance of the project. I think we've gone out strengthened from this experience.
Without any time for lunch, no more than 10 minutes I go to the annual general meeting of the WFCP. The representative of AoC (Association of Colleges UK) proposes me to be a member in the board of directors of the organization and it is accepted unanimously, That means that the new board of directors of the Association will be composed by:
Australia: Martin Riodan Chief executive Australia National Secretariat
Basque Country: José Luis Fernández Maure International Manager TKNIKA
Brazil: Claudio Ricardo Gomes de Lima: Reitor Instituto Federal do Ceara and past president Conselho nacional Educacao
Canada: James Knight: President Association of Canadian community Colleges
China: Dr Jiang Bo. Secretary General of China Education Association for International exchange
Kenya: Mr Olubunmi Owoso. Secretary General of Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa
Mexico: Dr Jesus Maria Contreras. president Asociación de Universidades Tecnológicas.
Senegal: Mr Ibrahima Toukara. Reseau des Establissements de Formacion Professionelle du Senegal
UK: Martin Doel. Cheif Executive Association of Colleges UK
USA: Walter Bumphus. President American Association of Community Colleges.
In the afternoon there are another four different presentations based on Transforming countries and Institutions . Speakers from Mozambique, minister of Education, Excellency Zeferino Martins, from Jamaica executive director Caribbean Maritime Institute, Dr Fritz Pinnock, from the Asian development bank Ms Shati Jagannathan and finally head of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Dr Shyamal Majumdar . Very interesting experiences explaining the way the proceedings they are following to get a real transformation in their own countries or institutions.
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