Booking workshops with BearPaw Education & Resource Centre
BearPaw Legal Education & Resource Centre (BLERC) offers many free workshops to groups and organizations on request. Facilitator Nadine Calihoo travels to communities throughout the province to provide legal workshops on various subjects. The workshops outline individual legal rights and responsibilities. This free service provided by BLERC was created, not only to help people receive the education needed to navigate certain legal situations, but also be inspired to use the resources available to nurture positive growth within ourselves and our communities. Workshops are the cornerstone of this mandate. Resources related to each workshop’s subject matter, such as videos and publications, are used within our workshops.
A message from Nadine:
Meet Nadine
Nadine Calihoo has been working with Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) for 15 years. For 10 of those years Nadine was a criminal and family courtworker in Hinton, Alta., helping clients navigate the criminal, youth and family legal systems.
Because of Nadine’s experience she took on the role of interviewing judges, Crown prosecutors, police and courtworkers in 2005 to learn more about the legal educational needs of Aboriginal people in Alberta. The interviews helped produce a groundbreaking research document called the Legal Education Needs Survey (LENS). Nadine sums up the document by saying Aboriginal people needed more than courtworkers to help them get through legal processes. At the end of the day clients are often still left with the overwhelming sense of "what just happened here".
The survey was the foundation for BLERC. Today BLERC continues to offer and create new public legal education workshops that are easy to understand, affordable and accessible to Aboriginal people and organizations. Nadine is now the coordinator and facilitator for all BLERC workshops.
Duty to Consult
This is a workshop for Aboriginal groups with an interest in the legal responsibilities of industry and government. It’s an intense workshop associated with constitutional law, regarding decisions that impact Aboriginal or treaty rights.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the Justice System
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is one of the most complicated problems facing the justice system. It is poorly understood, difficult to diagnose and burdened by social stigma. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the Justice System provides service providers with advice and knowledge about how to better help people with FASD who are in conflict with the law.
Going to Court
Being charged with a crime usually means going to court to face the consequences. Going through the criminal court process is often a confusing and frightening experience for people. The Going to Court workshop goes through every step of the process, from charges to sentencing.
Kids and the Law
Kids and the Law is an entertaining workshop that explains how Natural Law and modern-day laws are related and co-exist. It also explains how they are different. This workshop is geared toward a younger audience, approximately Kindergarten to Grade 6.
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Family Group Conferencing
Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is a workshop mainly for service providers or members of the public interested in traditional and collaborative approaches regarding child apprehension. The FGCs are circle processes for families, courtworkers and other community support groups as well as Alberta Children and Youth Services.
Aboriginal Hunting & Fishing Rights
Aboriginal Hunting & Fishing Rights is offered to interested organizations or individuals because of the complicated legal issues facing particular groups around these rights. This workshop makes sense of the issues by looking at different interpretations of original treaties and how those constitutional rights have been changed, eliminated and challenged over time.
Breach and Administration of Justice Charges
Breach and Administration of Justice explains the many types of conditions that courts put in place during the term that a person is dealing with the court. Generally, administration of justice charges are broken promises made to the court. Examples include violating probation and release conditions or not showing up for scheduled court appearances.
Landlord & Tenant Rights
The expectations around housing can be different depending on where a person is used to living. There is a lot to consider when moving from a caregiver’s home or a reserve, for example, to a property being rented out. Landlord and Tenant Rights highlights the legal rights and responsibilities of tenants or renters and landlords. It is for anyone currently renting or seeking accommodation.
Parenting – Legal Rights and Responsibilities
As the ancient Indian proverb says, “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” The responsibilities of being a parent are many. The legal issues that come along with being a parent can sometimes get overlooked. Parenting-Legal Rights and Responsibilities highlights those rights and responsibilities for new and expecting parents.
Traffic Violations: A Guide to Driving Offences
Traffic Violations-A Guide to Driving Offences explains different traffic laws and the consequences of breaking them. The workshop goes through everything from paying tickets to facing charges and going through the traffic court process. It's targeted to high school students and other new drivers.
