October 13, 2010

The Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada (AFOA) and Meyers Norris Penny LLP are pleased to announce the 5th Annual Aboriginal Youth Financial Management Conference Awards.

The Awards are open to Aboriginal youth in grades 11 & 12.

AFOA represents approximately 1,500 Aboriginals involved in financial management in their communities and organizations.  Meyers Norris Penny LLP is a leading Canadian Chartered Accountant and Management Consultant firm.

There is great demand in Aboriginal communities and in Corporate Canada for Aboriginal financial management professionals.  However, very few Aboriginal youth are pursuing an education in this field.  AFOA and Meyers Norris Penny have come together to offer the Aboriginal Youth Conference Awards in Financial Management to address this challenge.

Three young Aboriginals will be selected from across Canada to travel to Vancouver in March 2011 to attend AFOA’s National Conference and participate in a special youth program.  Over 900 senior Aboriginal leaders attend the Conference.

How the Award winners will be selected:

Schools are being asked to select students in Grades 11 and 12 who have been academically successful and want to pursue a post-secondary education in finance or management or are considering what career path to choose.  Students are asked to submit a short essay on the subject of, “The challenges many Aboriginal communities face are often linked to a shortage of management and financial leadership within their administration.  Describe why it’s important to pursue a career in these fields, how you would use your skills to make a difference in your community and how you would lead others to follow a similar career path”.

Winners will be introduced to career opportunities in finance and sources of support, read their winning essays at a special lunch in their honour, participate in a special youth session designed to develop leadership skills and participate in many other social activities in Vancouver.

For more information and to submit an application, go to www.afoa.ca or call AFOA at 1-866-722-2362