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When Edith Loring-Kuhanga's
name was announced as a winner of Women of Distinction award,
all she remembers is a friend behind her saying: Edith, put
your coat on.
Edith was so sure that she wasn't going to win that she hadn't
prepared a speech. Her first words on reaching the stage of
the Royal Theatre in Victoria on May 30, 2002 were to recognize
the Coast Salish people of the area on whose traditional territory
the Awards were being held.
Always an advocate for First Nations people, Edith's award
recognized her contribution to the goal of improving education
for Aboriginal people. Edith was the Victoria YM-YWCA's recipient
of the Woman of Distinction award in the category of Education,
Training and Development.
A Gitxsan, Edith grew up in Hazelton in northern BC. "As
a child growing up, I felt we didn't have a lot of opportunity.
I wanted to pursue education to become a teacher to bring
a relevant approach to education in our communities".
As a young single mother of two children, Edith left her home
to attend the University of Victoria where she earned a Bachelor
of Education Degree, graduating with distinction.
After graduating, Edith worked as an instructor, counsellor
and administrator within the First Nations education system.
In 1990 she became the Chief Executive Officer of the Saanich
Indian School Board near Victoria. "My goal has been
to give First Nations kids the best education they can possibly
get, regardless of where they live", Edith says.
In 1993 she established her own company to provide training
and consulting services for First Nations people in their
own communities. First Nations Training & Consulting Services
provides seminars, workshops and consulting services to First
Nations people across the country both on- and off-reserve.
Five years ago, Edith decided that Aboriginal women in Canada
needed a forum to discuss leadership issues and the role of
women in their communities. In its first year the Aboriginal
Women in Leadership Conference brought together 500 women
from every province and territory to discuss ways to improve
their leadership skills, to network and to share information.
The conference was a huge success and Edith was asked to make
it an annual event. In its four years, over 1200 women and
men have attended the conference.
This year, we will celebrate the fifth Anniversary of the
Aboriginal Women in Leadership Training Conference
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