Company: Northwest Territories
Innovation: Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training
Date Introduced: 2013
Award Recognition: Top Ten (#8)

The Government of the Northwest Territories promotes Aboriginal cultural awareness opportunities to enhance understanding, knowledge, and awareness within the public service.

The Northwest Territories is proud to be the only jurisdiction in Canada that recognizes National Aboriginal Day as a holiday, celebrated on June 21 of each year. In 2013, the Government of the Northwest Territories (NWT) will further recognize this important day with a new initiative.

With just over 50 percent of the NWT’s population Aboriginal, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to promoting an inclusive work environment, increasing communication, and improving working and personal relationships through broadened cultural understanding, recognition, and respect.
To coincide with Aboriginal Day, Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training was launched on June 20 by the Government of the Northwest Territories as a diversity and inclusion initiative that is identified in 20/20: A Brilliant North, Public Service Strategic Plan.

This interactive training program was developed with the support and involvement of seven Aboriginal governments within the Northwest Territories, as well as members of the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Aboriginal Employees Advisory Committee. This training is informative and engaging, filled with a variety of learning methods, and will be made available to all 4700 Public Service employees online or through facilitated sessions. The curriculum was designed to increase awareness, respect, and cultural understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal employees; Aboriginal employees of different cultural regions of the Northwest Territories; and employees and members of the communities they serve.

Four training modules will explore the importance of culture and cultural awareness, the Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories, the history of the Northwest Territories from an Aboriginal perspective and worldview, and the present and future challenges for Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories.