This is one of the Canadian CED Network's CED in Manitoba Profiles Project produced 50 stories of Manitoba communities working to build fairer and stronger local economies, reduce poverty, and revitalize neighbourhoods.
Because of their harsh climate and sparse population, among other factors, many remote communities in northern Manitoba face unique challenges connected with educational and training opportunities. Potential students have less access to post-secondary educational opportunities near their home, and even if they do access these opportunities, they may not be carried out in a culturally appropriate manner.
The University College of the North (UCN) was created to address some of these barriers facing northern and Aboriginal learners. While Universities are not usually considered CED initiatives, UCN is being included in this series of profiles in part to demonstrate how an educational institution can incorporate the “CED Principles” into its geographic location and educational focus, and in part because UCN has gone beyond this to incorporate a strong local, Aboriginal governance model that is rooted in the northern communities.
