success of the JIBC’s conflict resolution program and its commitment to
the Aboriginal community, he introduced the two parties to see how they
might work together on developing such a program to suit the Carcross/
Tagish community’s needs.

“In collaboration with the community, we designed a curriculum that
met the First Nation’s requirements and learning outcomes,’ says White. “It
was culturally appropriate and it met the JIBC’s standards.” As well as stan-
dard core courses, the group took electives on topics such as values-based
leadership, peacemaking and dealing with trauma.

For the ceremony, many members of this first graduating class (a
second group started in April 2008 and more are planned for ensuing years)
had made special dresses and jackets of caribou hide and adorned with
traditional beadwork and images. Each graduate spoke, often emotionally,
of how much the educational experience had meant to them, to their fami-
lies and to the community. They described how they were looking forward
to living and working together in better ways. Some of the graduates from
this first class were going on to take “train-the-trainer” classes so that they
could become conflict resolution coaches themselves. The JIBC staff and

ihe tagiuce’s conpic: faculty at the ceremony described how valuable the experience had been for
resoiution nrograims are them as they develop more partnerships with Aboriginal communities.

ihe mast contr acensiv2 Patricia Ross was hired by the JIBC in 1979 to create and build the
fi Caneua, delivored in Institute’s capacity to deliver community programs. She says, “The first
Wwonetires locations discipline to become interested in conflict resolution was the Corrections
ecross Hntch Count /a, Academy, which in 1981 offered three courses on this new topic. The next
Walenta! online. year, we started offering our first conflict resolution classes to students from

the community at large. In the next few years, we expanded our offerings to
include courses on topics such as negotiation, mediation and anger manage-
ment. By 1985, in three short years, the demand for conflict resolution skills
had rocketed. In 1986, we created Canada’s first certificate program in
conflict resolution and thirty-five pioneering JI students enrolled”

To maintain contact with the ever-growing number of students,
Marje Burdine, the program's Coordinator, published a newsletter, begin-
ning August 1986. As she wrote, “Most [of the students] mentioned in their
initial interviews that receiving a certificate in an area of specialization
was important, both for their own personal measure of accomplishment
and for professional recognition.” Almost half suggested they were taking
this program instead of a university post-graduate course. A breakdown
of the thirty-five certificate-program students showed that ten came from
B.C. Corrections, ten from private agencies, three were graduate students,
two were self-employed and the rest were from various public agencies,
including provincial government ministries and the police. Although not
widely publicized, the program attracted attention from students in Alberta
and Washington. Potential students outside the Lower Mainland wanted