Building Aboriginal Economic Development Capacity: The Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers1

Abstract

The experience of Aboriginal peoples in North America with globalization (or at least something very like it) is not simply a feature of the current era. It began some five centuries ago, upon first contact with Europeans. The negative impact has been well documented: socially cohesive communities have suffered severe dislocation. What receives less attention, but is more important, is the degree of cohesion that remains and the burning desire among Aboriginal people to rebuild their communities on this foundation. Remarkably, they intend to do this by participating in the global economy, but on their own terms. Business development (that is, entrepreneurship) and participation in the workforce lie at the heart of their approach to this participation.

One organization, the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO), is playing a key role in the development of the entrepreneurial capacity that is essential to successful participation in the global economy. This chapter describes the activities of CANDO, in particular its development of a national training and professional certification program for economic development officers working for Aboriginal communities and organizations. It places CANDO’s success in the latest thinking on capacity-building.

Keywords: Aborignal people, Indigenous people, economic development