Northwest Community College

Northwest Community College (NWCC), founded in 1975, is a provincially funded post-secondary institution in northwest British Columbia, situated within a rural and remote context. This region is home to more than 72,000 people, of whom 30 - 32 per cent are First Nations or Métis. According to British Columbia government statistics 2006 census data, this is by far the largest number of Indigenous people as a percentage of total population of all college regions in British Columbia. More than 35 different communities, ranging in size from a few hundred to 20,000, are located in the Northwest. To enhance access to post-secondary opportunities, NWCC has established nine campuses in the following communities: Houston, Smithers, Hazelton, Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Village of Queen Charlotte, Kaay Llnagaay and Masset. Through partnerships and federated agreements with First Nations communities and organizations, the College also provides community-based programming in many First Nations villages and consistently in the Nass Valley with Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a. The northwest region is home to seven (7) First Nations. The Haida reside to the west on Haida Gwaii, the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan to the east, the Tahltan and Nisga'a to the north, and the combined First Nations of the Haisla and Henaaksiala to the south. Much of the land stretching from the coast to the central interior of this region (following the banks of the Skeena River) is the traditional home of the Tsimshian people. Many Métis people have moved into the northwest region in past decades and are part of the recently organized BC Métis Nation. For more than five years, the College has embarked on a journey of transformational change to enhance access and success of First Nation and Métis learners. Initiated with the raising of an all Nations totem pole in the winter of 2004, NWCC seeks to become a bicultural institution in which both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal worldviews may respectfully co-exist. This is a significant change for NWCC and one the entire College-not just a department or service area within it-has been challenged to embrace. NWCC is unique among colleges in Canada as it seeks to redress colonization and the barriers First Nations and Métis students face in traditional educational systems. The success of the journey to date may be seen in the dramatic increase in the number of First Nations and Métis people who make up the NWCC community. They account for more 46 per cent of the student body and 20 per cent of its workforce. The success of the journey is also evident in the involvement of the First Nations and Métis communities-they are active participants in the guidance and operation of the College and claim NWCC as their own.