OTTAWA, Nov. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A unique partnership between the AFOA Canada and the Harvard Business School (HBS) will see forty AFOA Canada members from across Canada attend and obtain an Executive Program certificate from May 6 to 10, 2024.
This will be the sixth year of the Leading People and Investing to Build Sustainable Communities program and once completed, total of 262 professionals from Indigenous communities and organizations will have achieved.
“I had a dream to go to Harvard that I never thought would happen,” says Katherine Moses, a program participant from Waskaganish who works for the Cree Nation of Wemindji in Quebec. She participated in the program in 2022. “When I got the email from AFOA Canada that there was an opportunity to go, I took it. I couldn’t believe how amazing the program was – dreams really do come true.”
The program teaches participants how to effectively understand investment tools, products and practices, and how to use them in an Indigenous community context. Using case studies of Indigenous communities and organizations, it covers four key pillars of effective community investment through essential governance practices, entrepreneurial finance, negotiations and change management.
“It’s an opportunity for those working in Indigenous communities to access education at a world class institution like Harvard,” says Terry Goodtrack, President and CEO of AFOA Canada. “But it’s also an opportunity for them to learn from each other, from other Indigenous peoples who have experienced similar histories and understand the challenges.”
Participants study at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts with other Indigenous participants from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.
Applications remain open until November 30, 2023.
About AFOA Canada
Entering its 25th year as an Indigenous Institution, AFOA Canada is the center for excellence and innovation in Indigenous management, finance, and governance. It is the only organization in Canada that focuses on the capacity development and day-to-day needs of those Indigenous professionals who are working in all areas of management, finance, band administration, leadership, and program management. AFOA Canada’s premise is that one of the keys to successful self-determination, creating a better life for Canada’s Indigenous people and a better future for the next generation, lies in improving the management skills of those responsible for the stewardship of Indigenous resources.
For more information:
Toni Baggos
tbaggos@afoa.ca
