(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)

HEADLINE: Urban Aboriginal Youth Website Development Project Approved!

DATE: December 15, 2003

LOCATION: FNES (First Nations Employment Society) - Vancouver, BC

Exciting Initiative: Urban Aboriginal Youth Website Project Approved!

We are proud to announce the approval of our proposal to create an interactive youth-driven, youth-managed Website Project to support Urban Aboriginal Youth in Greater Vancouver. Our goal is to develop a cool, current and easy to use website to help youth access resources and services, gain valuable hands-on technical and business experience, research and find job opportunities, while sharing their culture and their voices. Upon its launch on March 31st, 2004, this website will be the most comprehensive guide for Urban Aboriginal Youth across the Lower Mainland.

The Project has a working name of RedWAY (Website for Aboriginal Youth), and has registered domain the name www.redwaybc.ca - so visit the site regularly to see the changes and updates provided by the Urban Aboriginal Youth.

An Aboriginal Youth Researcher and Facilitator will be announced this week and charged with the responsibility of gathering input directly from the Urban Aboriginal Youth, government, agencies, service providers as well as local business leaders and corporations to join in making this website an exciting, strategic alliance. Priority sections of this project over the next two months include Health, Housing, Education, Employment and Business. This Project will involve creating Aboriginal Youth Advisory Committees to design and develop sections of the website from the youth's perspectives; the youth will be responsible for content and feel, posting and creating cool links, using message boards, updating calendars, finding and promoting youth events and projects. This will be a one-stop-shop for Urban Aboriginal Youth including critical links accessed through an easy to navigate interface created by Aboriginal youth web developers.

Key Partners:

Funding Organizations
We are grateful to these organizations for their commitment to supporting this unique, interactive Project to help connect Aboriginal Youth to current services and future opportunities:

• Human Resource Development Canada
• Western Economic Diversification
• Heritage Canada
• Health Canada

Indigenous Dynamics Plus - ID+
A Cree Youth Entrepreneur, Janine Island, owns Indigenous Dynamics Plus (ID+) which is our website development partner for this project. ID+ currently manages a large portfolio of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal public and private sector websites. Their experienced staff brings a combination of over 25 years in Web design, programming, graphic design, desktop publishing, and multimedia digital video editing. As a First Nations youth-driven business, ID+ is focused on new web media technologies (like Flash, action scripting, and video streaming, as well as database-driven applications like XML, ASP, PHP, and Java Script). RedWAY BC will be developed and maintained for youth by youth.

First Nations Employment Society - FNES
FNES was incorporated as a Non-Profit Society in April 1997. FNES is made up of 10 member Nations that include T’sleil Waututh, Tsawwassen, Squamish, Sliammon, Sechelt, Musqueam
N’Quatqua, Mt. Currie, Klahoose and Homalco First Nations. Our downtown Vancouver location provides employment services and training for ALL Aboriginal people (Status and non-Status, First Nations, Metis and Inuit) to address the high levels of unemployment of the on- and off-reserve urban Aboriginal population. We currently have a registered database of approximately 2500 Aboriginal clients. Out of those currently registered clients, approximately 45% are youth between the ages of 15 and 30 years old.

Support Team

Valerie Monkman is from the Peguis Nation in Manitoba, and has been working at FNES since 1999. Valerie will be our Project Coordinator, and brings her experience of Youth Programming Facilitator at FNES to our dedicated team.

Sharon Bowcott is the First Nations Employment and Enterprise Centre Manager, and will continue to promote this initiative through her guidance and energy. Her team will provide accounting and administrative support as needed for reporting duties, and support an interactive computer terminal for Youth Advisory Council members to input their information directly to www.redwaybc.ca.

Bernie Malach is our Project Facilitator - our inspiring voice bringing his wide range of experiences as lawyer, negotiator, leader and businessman. Bernie was adopted into the Nisga'a Killer Whale clan in 1997. His support in creating and strengthening corporate relationships will be valuable for bringing Urban Aboriginal Youth together with businesses and organizations in Greater Vancouver. Bernie's attention to detail will be an invaluable asset to ensure our project proceeds smoothly and on time, and that all reporting requirements are fulfilled.

Kristin Kozuback (Spiritlink Communications) is our Marketing Consultant, and will work closely with a group of Aboriginal youth to fine-tune and implement an aggressive, edgy marketing and communications strategy. As a business coach and Certified Canadian Sales Professional, Kristin brings to our team her experiences teaching at the Helping Spirit Lodge Society's CHOICES Program, and at the Native Education Centre in the Applied Business Technology and Aboriginal Tourism Management Programs.

The goal of sharing knowledge and experiences with Urban Aboriginal Youth includes developing five to eight marketing “shadows” – Aboriginal youth who want to be directly involved in learning the steps to design and implement our marketing plan by “shadowing” the consultant.

For more information about the RedWAY BC Project (the Website for Aboriginal Youth) or to find out how you can become a Youth Advisory Council member, contact us. Go to www.redwaybc.ca, or contact Valerie Monkman at FNES by: e-mail ValerieM@fnes.ca, or phone: 604-605-8901 or come down and visit the First Nations Employment and Enterprise Centre after January 5th, 2004 at Cambie and W. Pender (101 - 440 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC)

We're sponsoring a logo contest to help us find a logo for our new project. Visit www.redwaybc.ca for more details on our logo contest, and get us your logo submission by January 23rd, 2004.
Or, sign up for our free permission-based e-zine (electronic magazine) by going to www.imninc.com/spiritlink