Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Rae-Edzo (Jun 18/01) - The jewelry equipment is packed up in boxes and stored, but the time to give up on the Rae-Edzo jewelry metalwork program has not yet arrived.
"It's a standard thing to close up the studio and pack up the equipment, first of all," says Aurora College's co-ordinator of mine training, Bob Ward.
"That's not a major concern."
But Ward says that though there are no definite plans to continue the program, he insists he is "trying desperately to continue it."
The main problem is funding. The college has never had long-term funding for the two-year-old jewelry and metalwork program.
"We managed to scrape the money together to keep it going for the diploma program. And all we have now is enough money for half (a year)."
As a result, Ward says, he's looking into partnering with the Dogrib Rae band or the Dogrib Treaty 11 council to keep in going.
"I have a proposal in to them but I haven't heard back."
Ward keeps trying to find a way to keep the program going because he believes in it.
"I believe very strongly that it's a very valuable program, even more so now because we're changing the focus of it to incorporate goldsmithing and diamond-setting."
Ward points to the 11-year-old Nunavut Arctic College program, which is in the process of being adapted for the Western Arctic.
"Look at how well-established their industry is. It takes time to get this going. And I'm convinced if it's given a fair shake, it will develop into its own industry.
"The jewelry industry may not create hundreds of jobs, but it does create long-term employment for individuals who finish it and pursue it."
Ward says he has not yet investigated the possibility of partnering with one of the diamond mines, but he does say "there's been interest from one of them, that they may want to do something."
"I'm optimistic that we'll get the funding somehow, somewhere."
It's getting a little late for a September start, but Ward says there's always January. There is a list of students from the Rae-Edzo area who wish to either continue into a third year or begin the program.
Rose Baily is one of those students.
"I would have taken a third year. I still had a lot of stuff to learn," she says. "We thought it would stay for a while."
Baily says at least six students expressed the desire to continue.
"And there's a lot of artists in Rae, too, who were also thinking of going into it."
Calls to the Dogrib Treaty 11 council and the Dogrib Rae band were not returned by deadline.
