The OFIFC designs and delivers culture-based education and training opportunities to support the learning needs of Friendship Centre staff, Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities.
The cultural foundations and pedagogies within our curricular stem from culture-based concepts of how Indigenous people teach and how we learn.
We have spent decades finding creative and innovative ways to preserve traditional knowledge methods in ways that support today’s urban realities.
Key Training Topics:
Indigenous cultural competency
Cultural safety
Trauma-informed practices
Community development
Leadership and governance
Organizational capacity development
Strategic planning
Sector-specific practices, such as: school boards, health care agencies, public libraries, public organizations, private businesses and all levels of government.
College Certificates
The OFIFC offers two college certificate programs to Friendship Centre staff which help them access post-secondary opportunities:
- Indigenous Community Development College Certificate (ICDCC)
- Good Minds College Certificate (GMCC)
Both programs empower Friendship Centre staff to apply their lived experiences and perspectives to their approach in supporting local urban Indigenous communities.
Curricula in the ICDCC and GMCC programs are reviewed by an Elders Council to ensure that culture-based approaches and community voices are woven throughout.
The certificate programs are supported by OFIFC partners: George Brown College and Confederation College.