FIELDS’ mission is to cultivate self-reliance, leadership, and prosperity in Indigenous populations, through personal development, skills and trades training, higher education achievement, and successful transition to careers.

Facilitators of Innovative Education, Leadership Development, and Sustainability (FIELDS) is an organization established in 2013 to deliver innovative education and career development solutions to Indigenous and other underserved communities in Canada and the U.S. FIELDS is an Indigenous owned and managed company, addressing the chronic lack of our people’s success in higher education and training programs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), business management, skilled trades, and other essential disciplines. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for underserved communities to reclaim people their heritage of self-reliance and prosperity and embrace a brighter future. We do this by connecting education and skills development to the local economy from a different, wholistic paradigm, cultivating personal leadership development, empowering individuals to become the driver of their own/personal journey and cultivating self-reliance. FIELDS brings this perspective to bear while assisting individuals to succeed in higher education achievement, skills development, trades training, and then transition to a career.

Doing the same thing (or variations thereof) and expecting different results has been called the definition of insanity (Albert Einstein). FIELDS takes a different approach to building the individual to fulfil their self-reliance goals within the wholistic paradigm of Indigenous knowledge. This approach to our work considers the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellness and development of the individual within the context of “where I live” (the local social and economic context). This model considers the educational, economic, socioemotional, cultural, and personal skills development of the individual and the community for optimum success.

Wholistic Model

Our prosperity model is economy-driven, establishing personal readiness and academic preparedness, identifying career pathways, connecting students with higher education and/or training while providing wholistic support. This model is depicted in the Medicine Wheel.

Economic and Educational Evaluation

FIELDS engages local Indigenous leadership to assess the Economic Strategies of the region and the ongoing involvement of tribal members. This provides key information of regional economic drivers including employers, industries, and market sectors, their capacities, current and future economic opportunities and the human resources needed to grow existing businesses, expand current economic opportunities.

The Education Evaluation analyses the education and training requirements to fill the local labor market needs. It clearly identifies education and training institutions which could provide training, certificates, and degree programs that align with the economic needs.

The Education Journey Development develops a pathway, with milestones and success supports to support individuals to board their achievement of career and personal goals.

As outlined in the medicine wheel (above) the remaining three quadrants of the completion of wholistic activities and supports that the community and FIELDS provide.

Preparation

A crucial factor of FIELDS’ success in increasing Indigenous learners’ participation and success is providing culturally sensitive academic preparedness programs for K-12 and adults re-engaging in the workforce. FIELDS of Dreams^© is a multi-disciplined program that combines socio-emotional preparation with skill and academic preparation. Our personal assessments and customized courses are accessible and tailored to identify each of the participants’ individual needs in skills, psycho-social, and academic preparation. This forms the starting point on their journey toward a successful training and employment experience. This foundational step aligns personal interests and abilities with career and skilled workforce pathways linked to the regional economic demand, and beyond.

Progress Support

The FIELDS success formula includes delivering high-impact services throughout every step of the individual’s preparation, career exploration, education, and transition into their career. FIELDS combines mentoring, tutoring, workplace internships, training, and leadership development as a comprehensive retention strategy. These proven aspects of retention and inclusive career exploration has helped FIELDS to achieve unprecedented success with Indigenous learners.

Economic Engagement

An invaluable component of retention is mentorship, connecting students with those already working in their career of interest, local industry leaders, and FIELDS alumni. These opportunities can be pivotal and are a vital way to teach students how to network to get a job. Business, industry, and service sector partners are core to FIELDS’ programming success and economic impact. FIELDS continuously engages with and maintains communication with industry partners throughout all projects from the Economic Assessment, to advising in the development of relevant curriculum, identifying critical skill development, and preparing jobseekers for successful transition into local gainful employment. FIELDS helps with job searching process, entrepreneurship training, as well as networking opportunities.