Five new graduates joined the alumni of Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board’s (NPAAMB) Journey to Success program on Dec. 14. A special ceremony was held at Niagara College’s Welland campus to celebrate the completion for the 14-week program. While August’s graduates prepared for careers in the hospitality sectors, the newest cohort of graduates are equipped with career skills in applied health.
“These are students that know they have a passion for healing but are unsure of the direction they want to go,” said Shanyn Porter, program manager with Niagara College. “In this program, the focus is giving them the basic, essential skills.”
Classes for the program were held at Niagara College’s Welland Campus, and drew on the expertise in NC’s School of Allied Health. NPAAMB’s expertise brought a unique cultural context to the program. The program included training in CPR/First Aid, Food Handler Safety and Mental Health First Aid.
“It’s a good way to learn your identity,” said Kelly Crawley graduate of the Journey to Success program. “It’s also a great way to get your foot in the door and see other career paths.”
“What has naturally happened with this group in particular are connections and relationships with their Indigenous community and their non-Indigenous community, maybe in ways they didn’t expect,” said Porter. “And that’s given them a sense of belonging and a sense of community beyond their own so that they know they’re healing all walks of life.”
At the Dec. 14, ceremony, grads of the program were joined by their families, NPAAMB and Niagara College instructors and staff, and other community members, who lauded the five grads for the hard work and tenacity that helped them excel in the program.
Dawn Moughtin, mother of Crawley, is also an NC alumni, graduating from the College’s ECE program after participating in the college’s Aboriginal Child Development Pre-apprenticeship program in 2013. She is currently Executive Director of the Niagara Regional Native Center.
“It really creates a sense of family in the program. The participants get to know each other and share each others stories,” said Moughtin. “In our culture, we don’t let people fall behind. We reach behind and bring them back to stand next to us. And that really happens in programs like this.”
The next Journey to Success program begins Jan. 28 and will maintain a focus on the applied health field.
