The Native & Indigenous Affinity Community was created to provide career development resources tailored to the Native & Indigenous community at UConn. These resources, up to this point, have largely been focused on Native & Indigenous peoples in the United States of America, but indigeneity extends beyond the United States. With this in mind, we have gathered information on resources and professional organizations dedicated to the career development and growth of Native & Indigenous peoples from Canada and Mexico and posted these new resources to our Native & Indigenous Community page. Here are all of the new resources!
Resources for Indigenous Canadian Students
Accelerate Her Future
Accelerate Her Future offers career advice, tools, and workshops tailored to promote the success and representation of Indigenous, Black, and racialized women in Canada working in business and STEM fields. They also have a job board and offer workplace training on intersectional gender equity.
Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT)
Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT) is an organization based in Ontario offering career training, advice, coaching, scholarships, and job/internship/co-op opportunities to Six Nations Band members across Ontario.
Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is a professional organization dedicated to promoting the representation and equity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples identifying as women, two-spirit, non-binary, or transgender in the workforce. They offer scholarships, access to publications on various topics surrounding Indigeneity, employment training, apprenticeship programs, entrepreneurship programs, resources on Indigenous sovereignty, climate activism resources and training, and a job board.
Indigenous Professional Association of Canada (IPAC)
The Indigenous Professional Association of Canada (IPAC) is a professional organization dedicated to promoting the representation and equity of Indigenous Canadians in the workforce across Canada. They offer mentorship opportunities, networking opportunities, job postings, and more. One program of note is their Pathways to Success program, which supports the career and economic development of Indigenous Canadian youth aged 17-29 by connecting them with internship and work opportunities.
Resources for Indigenous Mexican Students
National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies
The National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) is an academic association for scholars and college/university programs focused on studies related to Chicanas/Chicanos, Latinas/Latinos, and Mexican Americans. For over 30 years they have had an annual conference for members to present their abstracts and papers, and many of the papers presented at these conferences have gone on to become cornerstone pieces of literature in the field.
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is a professional organization for scientists dedicated to advancing Chicanos and Native Americans in the STEM field. Their work focuses on a range of initiatives intended to increase the number of Chicanos and Native Americans who are obtaining degrees in STEM fields, working in STEM fields, and obtaining leadership positions in STEM fields through intentional programming. Their programs include leadership programs such as the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute and the SACNAS Postdoc Leadership Institute, their Native American & Indigenous Group, and student-focused programs such as their Mentor Activation for Students program and travel scholarships.
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) is a professional organization consisting of Chicanas/Latinas and Native American women working within academia and community settings to support, educate, and promote Chicana/Latina and Native American women’s issues. MALCS also has a job board for positions relating to the advancement of Chichana/Latina and Native American women’s issues.
All of these resources and more can be found on our Native & Indigenous Affinity Community page! Be sure to read through other blogs, and resources, and view UConn and professional organizations that aim to support the Native & Indigenous Community.
