By Allen Mac Kenzie

2. Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies
The Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business
Studies promotes interest among Canada’s
Aboriginal people in the study of business at the
post-secondary level, while undertaking pure and
applied research specific to Aboriginal
communities.

3. Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies
“The Chair” is focusing its work in three areas:
1. Research on what “drives” success in Aboriginal
business:
• An examination of the Membertou Model
• An examination of best business practices in Unama’ki
• An examination of best business practices in Aboriginal
communities

4. Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies
“The Chair” is focusing its work in three areas:
2. National student recruitment for the study of Business in
Canadian universities
3. Enhancement of the Business curriculum to support
expanded access

5. Regional Roundtable Discussions
Regional roundtable participation
28 students with
representation from:
• 19 First Nation, Métis,
and Inuit communities
• 9 provinces
• 19 universities

6. Regional Roundtable Discussions
Some of the main points discussed were:
• The overall level of interest of Aboriginal students in
business
• Student perceptions of the importance of business and
business leaders to communities
• Student perceptions of barriers to the study of business at
the University level
• The enhancement of business curriculum with more
Aboriginal content

7. Roundtable Findings
Some of the findings that emerged :
• Need for Aboriginal content in business education
• Issues of proximity and need for support structures
• Need for more knowledge regarding funding options
• Need for better university preparation

8. The Research Behind the Program
• Canada’s Aboriginal population is growing six times faster than the non-
Aboriginal population
• Almost half (48%) of Canada’s Aboriginal population is under the age of 25
• Nova Scotia has approximately 4.2% of the national Aboriginal population
(status and non-status First Nation peoples)
• High school completion rates are lower with the Aboriginal high school
dropout rate being 60% for students living on a reserve and 43% for those
living off-reserve
• 23% of Canada’s non-Aboriginal population received university degrees
with less than seven per cent of Aboriginal Canadians graduating with a
university degree

9. Why Business?
Chief Terry Paul summarized the importance of recruiting
young Aboriginals to the study of business as:
“This must be our future! Self reliance and self
governance will only come with economic
independence and the foundation for this is the
study of business.”

10. Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Programme
Business Network for Aboriginal Youth
• Mentorship program targeting Aboriginal high school students from Nova
Scotia
• Attract students to the study of Business
• Aims to enrich the lives of Aboriginal secondary students by helping to
manage the transition from high school to university business education
• Using BlackBerry technology the network links 30 Aboriginal high school
students from across Nova Scotia

11. Program Implementation
• Funding from the Province of Nova Scotia, Mi’kmaw
Kina’matneway (MK), and the R Howard Webster
Foundation
• Presentations at 28 high schools across Nova Scotia
• 217 applicants in total
• Advisory council made up of Elders and educators
was established
• 7 Aboriginal business mentors

12. Business Network for Aboriginal Youth
• The program has representation from 12 of the 13 First Nation
communities in Nova Scotia as well as Métis and Inuit participants
• Students divided into the following groups: the Marketers, the Managers,
the Accountants, the Entrepreneurs, the Economists, and Tourism
• Students given the opportunity to interact with students and mentors from
other communities
• Participants engaged in challenges via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)
• Youth conferences held in First Nation communities across Nova Scotia

14. Results from Year One
• 21 students completed all of the requirements and
have graduated from year one of this pilot program
• 6 of these students were in grade 12 and have
graduated from high school
• 4 of whom are now attending University
• 2 of these 4 are studying business

15. Wela’lioq , Thank you
www.cbu.ca/crawford