A Gathering Place coming to Vancouver Island University in 2010.

Vancouver Island University will be providing a special place for its aboriginal students when A Gathering Place opens its doors early
in 2010.
The centerpiece of the new building will be a ceremonial space that will be used for small gatherings and sharing of culture and traditions in an educational setting.
The building’s design has been influenced by the traditional Coast Salish pre-European contact structures. Several people from Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council’s member nations sit on the project’s steering committee including Snuneymuxw councillor and VIU’s young-elder-in-residence Geraldine Manson and VIU student Gary Manson, also from Snuneymuxw. Patti Edwards, the education coordinator at Snaw-Naw-As First Nation also sits on the committee.
And working on the actual construction will be graduates from a recent Bladerunners program delivered by the Coast Salish Employment Training Society. They entered VIU’s new aboriginal construction program in April.
The program is a pilot project partnered under the Industry Training Authority carpentry apprentice Level 1 certification. The year-long project includes ten months of training and two months of job placement.
We are very proud of our participants,” said CSETS Glenn Boyda who runs the Bladerunners program. “It definitely wasn’t easy for the participants. They worked hard on their skill development, which included math and English upgrading, building projects and construction certifications.”
But Boyda said the vision extends beyond Bladerunners.
“Hopefully, it doesn’t stop there. We would like to make it possible for our First Nations people to attain their carpentry tickets. We have too many skilled workers that are getting paid low wages because they don’t have that piece of paper that recognizes them as qualified trades carpenter.
“Some of these guys can build a house already, but for whatever reason, have not pursued their Red Seal carpentry papers. It would be encouraging to see more First Nations carpentry contractors on job sites and this partnership with VIU presents our members opportunities that complement their career goals.”