It’s been a year since Claudette Cort began her work placement with Kakekalanicks, a Niagara-based Indigenous arts consulting company, in June 2020. As the final component of her Journey to Success program experience, the opportunity provided Cort with the chance to put her skills into practice while further exploring her Indigenous roots. The real-world opportunity would also lead to a permanent job with the company as executive assistant to the president, a role that Cort currently holds.
Creating pathways to careers in the hospitality and tourism industry is the goal of the Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board’s (NPAAMB) Journey to Success – Hospitality & Tourism program, a college certificate program for Indigenous youth delivered in partnership with Niagara College.
Claudette Cort presents a project on her ‘journey to success’
Cort, 23, was introduced to the program by her NPAAMB youth service worker who thought it would be a good fit and explained the benefits of the unique curriculum, which mixes applied learning through the expertise of NC’s School of Hospitality and Tourism and cultural education from NPAAMB instructors.
As a single mother, Cort was also eligible for several supports including funding for her son’s daycare and transportation to classes, making it possible for her to join the program in January 2020 at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Through the program, Cort learned the essential skills required for a career in hospitality and tourism and completed certificate training in WHMIS, smart serve and food handling to help build her resume.
She recalled how the program made her seriously think about her future. “My original thinking was to go into hairstyling,” Cort said. “A couple weeks in, I started questioning what my actual interests were and what my strengths were.”
Some of the most rewarding components of the program proved to be the cultural experiences for Cort, who is First Nations, Ojibwe. She found solace in the opening and closing circles – gatherings that allow students to share in a sacred and safe place to talk, starting and end their school days together – and heard from inspirational speakers on topics including intergenerational trauma, strength and perseverance.
Michele-Elise Burnett, president, Kakekalanicks and co-founder, Landscape of Nations 360°
A highlight for Cort was attending the opening of NC’s Indigenous Lounge at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus where she met other members of the Indigenous community, including Michele-Elise Burnett for whom she works for today.
Burnett, Metis/Algonquin Bear Clan, is president of Kakekalanicks and co-founder of Landscape of Nations 360° (LON 360°), a unique national Indigenous education and tourism initiative. After hiring Cort, LON360° partnered with NC and NPAAMB to help teach the Indigenous tourism component of a special Journey to Success pilot program that combined courses in hospitality and tourism with healthcare components. Through the experience, she was able to share her knowledge and expertise with the next generation.
“I really enjoyed it and I became very close with those students,” said Burnett. “It was so empowering to see the future in our youth and I remember thinking, ‘this is great, we can pass on the baton knowing our future is in good hands’.”
Recently, Burnett welcomed a second Niagara College-NPAAMP graduate to her team, Rin Langendoen-Simon, who is completing their Journey to Success work placement as LON 360°’s marketing and promotions assistant.
“This position has allowed me to develop my social skills and build relations with our Indigenous community,” said Langendoen-Simon. “I never thought I would be working in the tourism industry, but I am so grateful that I am with an Indigenous company and Indigenous co-workers.”
Cort and Langendoen-Simon are part of Burnett’s “dream team”- a group of Indigenous youth working at Kakekalanicks and LON 360° with bright futures.
“They are bright, eager and understand our work because of the course that they took,” she said. “I’ve always understood from our teachings is being able to pass down our traditions and culture, but when you’re able to pass down careers and open the door to opportunities then we are truly setting our youth up for success.”
“We are so proud of the accomplishments of our Journey to Success graduates like Claudette and Rin,” said Shanyn Porter, project manager and educator, Workforce Development and Community Programs at NC. “They made the most of their program experience and are applying their professional skills and cultural nuances to their current roles. They are two of many shining examples of how the NC-NPAAMB partnership can open doors for our youth.”
NC-NPAAMB graduate Rin Langendoen-Simon
Langendoen-Simon has plans to further their education while helping to educate others in the process.
“Education is very important to me as I am Anishinaabe Turtle Clan and it is our role to learn and educate. I want to attend university in the future and potentially pursue a career in archeology,” they said. “However, I am very much enjoying the other educational opportunities that are provided to me by my current job position at LON 360°. I think that I will be a lifelong learner and will be happy in any career that allows me to constantly learn and help educate others, especially on Indigenous issues and culture.”
For Cort, the support and mentorship she has experienced in her journey so far has opened her eyes to new possibilities for her future.
“NPAAMB and Michele-Elise have taught me that I’m able and capable and it’s made me more confident with who I am, what I can accomplish and where I can go,” she said. “Coach-mentor Marie (Bowering) had said that you get what you take out of the program, so I put my heart into it and let it guide me wherever it did.”
With a newfound passion for Indigenous tourism, Cort hopes to continue her educational journey to earn a credential in her area of interest. “I would like to take tourism at NC and possibly event management to sharpen my skills, gain the experience of being at school and to get involved with NCSAC.”
Currently, Journey to Success is in its final delivery after nine successful cohorts that started in the Spring of 2018. “Our partnership with NPAAMB will continue and we are excited about new initiatives coming this Fall,” said Porter.
