Peel Aboriginal Steering Committee (PASC)
What does PASC do?
The Peel Aboriginal Steering Committee:
- Raises awareness among Peel residents (both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) about the Aboriginal People’s heritage and culture.
- Works to support the development of programs for Aboriginal families.
PASC partners
Children’s Services formed PASC in 2007, in partnership with Peel’s three Aboriginal groups:
Since then the following partners have become PASC members:
PASC accomplishments
PASC has:
- Organized the annual A Gathering: Peel’s Aboriginal Celebration.
- Created a poster for Aboriginal families to promote PASC and provide contact information of three Aboriginal community groups in Peel.
- Provided training and information opportunities to enable members of the Best Start Network and the broader community to develop a deeper understanding of the Aboriginal community (First Nation, Inuit and Métis Peoples).
PASC and Peel Children’s Services
Children’s Services hired a Community Engagement Specialist and an Early Childhood Outreach Worker for the Aboriginal Community to:
- Co-ordinate PASC activities, including raising the awareness of the broader community about PASC and its work.
- Develop and distribute Aboriginal resource kits to all early learning and child care settings in Peel.
- Provide training for service providers, parents and children to promote Aboriginal learning as part of the environment and curriculum.
Increased activities with the Aboriginal community
As a result of the increased awareness, organizations are increasing their activities with and services for the Aboriginal community.
- Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has added Aboriginal resources to its classrooms.
- Peel Planning consulted with PASC for advice on how to include the Aboriginal perspective in the Official Plan update.
- The Atkinson Foundation at OISE, University of Toronto consulted PASC on strategies to attract Aboriginal youth into Early Childhood Education training programs.
- City of Brampton is inviting the Aboriginal community to participate in their events.
PASC Resources and initiatives
