Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on September 25th, Recreation North provided a news release that spoke about what they had done and are planning to do. The Recreation North 2015 Arctic Inspiration Prize Laureate is a tri-territorial partnership of the Recreation and Parks Association of Yukon, the NWT Recreation and Parks Association, and Recreation and Parks Association of Nunavut. It was established to provide training to strengthen the capacity of recreation leaders in northern, rural, and remote communities. I believe the training is a great supplement to what the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is presently doing.
Mr. Speaker, after developing and piloting training for northern recreation leaders, Recreation North announced its future plans. The Recreation North Training Program launching in November 2018 will be a series of remotely delivered learning events. Evaluation of the pilot demonstrated the value of training to the participants and employees. I would like to share a couple of comments from the first participants.
"I appreciate learning from the others. A lot of brilliant ideas and creativity was shared. Most of our experience was very similar, even though we came from three different territories."
"Staff has gained confidence and was able to do the programming. The person was able to apply what they learned instantly, and I was able to see him doing it on a regular basis."
Moving forward, Recreation North is making a few changes to the training program by offering flexible learning opportunities. The program is flexible and works around people's work schedules in online blocks. This is really good. Students can work around busy schedules and complete certification at a reasonable pace, in a reasonable way.
Mr. Speaker, the training comprises a series of learning events delivered remotely by distance. In-person learning is offered through each territorial recreation and parks association. Each learning event takes about five hours to complete. Individuals may take one or several learning events, for personal interest or professional development, or choose 12 learning events for certification in northern recreation leadership. The flexibility in how the program is now laid out will allow individuals to begin at any point throughout the year.
I would like to thank Recreation North for all their work and look forward to seeing future success stories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.