WHITEHORSE—Mark Preston is a Tlingit visual artist, but his most recent work can almost be read as a poem. 

“It brings in a kind of Japanese philosophy, like a haiku,” said Preston of White Space, the show opening this month at The Hilltop Bistro at Yukon College. “You don’t have to tell the whole story. If you place the words right, then the whole story unveils itself to you.”

White Space consists of a series of small wooden panels. Each is debossed with a single abstract representation of a traditional image. Each is painted pure white. From a distance, the panels look blank. Up close, the carvings become clear.

“I think people are too distracted by textures and colours and sounds,” said Preston. “I take away all the distractions so what you’re left with is a sort of subtle image.”

WHITEHORSE—Two permafrost core samples taken from alongside the Alaska Highway in Yukon will be part of a new Arctic gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

While permafrost cores have travelled south for research purposes many times, this will be the first time in Canada that permafrost cores will be publicly displayed in a museum.

“We wanted visitors to the Arctic gallery to learn about ways in which the changing climate is affecting Canada’s North and the risk to highways and buildings from thawing permafrost,” said Caroline Lanthier, Senior Content Developer for the Arctic gallery, Canadian Museum of Nature.

“The timing of the museum’s request was fortuitous as my colleague and I had been devising a way to display permafrost cores, both for research purposes and public viewing,” said Dr. Fabrice Calmels, permafrost researcher.

WHITEHORSE—On Tuesday, January 10th, 2017, the College is holding the first of several information sessions on the new Post-Degree Certificate in Climate Change Policy program.

The session will take place at Ayamdigut campus in Whitehorse from 10:30 a.m. until noon in room C1530. Interested individuals from communities outside Whitehorse may participate remotely via a web link.

“Interest has been very high since this new program was announced. This session is an opportunity for people to hear more about course topics and ask any questions they may have,” said Dr. Katrine Frese, program coordinator and instructor with the program.

The one-year, part-time program is aimed at working professionals with a bachelor or master’s degree or significant applicable work experience with territorial and provincial governments, Indigenous governments, NGOs or as a consultant.

En Français

WHITEHORSE—Yukon College and Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) have been working in partnership to offer a new 13-week Bilingual Customer Service program starting in January 2017. The pilot program is aimed at French speakers who would like to take on front-line roles in tourism or other service industries in Yukon.

Students in this program will become familiar with the basics of customer service in a bilingual setting, improve workplace essential skills and cap it off with a short work placement. Students will learn workplace English with a bilingual instructor.

Yukon College (YC) ranked third for research intensity among all Canadian colleges according to the newly released Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges by Research Infosource Inc.

Yukon College has been awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant to work with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) to incorporate the values and Traditional Knowledge (TK) of CAFN people into the First Nation’s draft Water Strategy.

“We are putting renewed energy into our work to complete CAFN’s Water Strategy, since initial work on the strategy began in 2009,” said Dän nätthe ada Kaaxnox (Chief Steve Smith).  “This funding and partnership with Yukon College helps CAFN continue our conversation with Citizens around water with a renewed focus on connecting cultural beliefs and responsibilities with the modern ways we have to manage water today.”

WHITEHORSE—Thanks to the generosity of donors, covering the cost of tuition, textbooks, school supplies and living expenses will be a little easier for 40 Yukon College students this week.

The College will hand out $75,900 at the annual Student Awards Ceremony this week, which brings award donors together with the students who earned them. The students will receive financial awards with an average value of $1,000 and entrance scholarships that cover the full cost of tuition for one year.

“Although we have tripled the money available to students this year, there were 226 applications for assistance from 74 students, many more than we are able to fulfill,” said Wendy Tayler, Yukon College Foundation Board Chair. “This is why the Foundation board has set the goal of growing annual student awards by a further $34,000.”

WHITEHORSE—Researchers and academics from across Canada are attending a conference this week taking place at two post-secondary institutions that are 7021 kilometres apart.

Yukon College and Cape Breton University are co-hosting the 2016 COHERE conference.

COHERE (Canada's Collaboration for Online Higher Education and Research) is made up of 14 universities and one college focusing on the research and practice of blended and online learning within higher education.

The annual conference walks their talk by using technology to connect with keynote speakers from around the world and enabling attendees to join the proceedings remotely alongside people physically attending in Sydney, Nova Scotia, or Whitehorse, Yukon.

WHITEHORSE—Dr. Cyndy Baskin believes Indigenous knowledges can save the planet. In particular, when applied to health care, social work, mental health support, and education—the helping professions—connecting with Indigenous knowledge and values can bring about a great deal of healing for those working in such fields and the people they are helping.

“I am asking people to consider other ways of doing this work,” said Baskin. “So many people are disconnected from themselves, each other and society. There are so many troubles and crises happening. Why do we, as helpers, commit actions that are not working for vast numbers of people over and over again?”

HAINES JUNCTION—The Mayor and Council of the village of Haines Junction have become the first municipality in Yukon to complete the Yukon First Nations 101 program.

Earlier this month, village resident Kari Johnston challenged the council to meet number 57 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action. They could do this by completing the six-hour online program by September 30, which is recognized as Orange Shirt Day—an annual residential school commemoration event.

At the council meeting this week, on Wednesday September 28th, Mayor Michael Riseborough announced that he and all four Councillors had done so. All five of them sported an orange shirt to mark the occasion.