History of NPAAMB

Established in 1992, the NPAAMB Indigenous Youth Employment & Training is a not-for-profit organization with a primary mandate to provide employment and training solutions to prepare  self-identifying urban Indigenous youth for a successful transition into the labour market.

We seek to enhance the quality of life for our clients through demand-driven and culturally appropriate employment and training supports. It is our goal to build opportunities  reflecting community needs responsive to  labour market trends, while promoting paths of leadership for our clients.

Our Mission

NPAAMB provides skills development and training opportunities for urban Indigenous youth in Southern Ontario. We attract, develop, and motivate young Indigenous talent by respecting their diverse cultural identities and working closely with the communities we serve.

Our Vision

The urban Indigenous youth we serve will have increased confidence, self-esteem, and leadership abilities. They will develop skills and a strong attachment to the workforce that will make them more employable and provide them with greater stability. NPAAMB will be a leader in supporting our youth as they transform into leaders contributing to their communities.

Our Values

Collaboration

We believe it takes daily teamwork and partnership to achieve our goals. We have a compelling desire to improve for the coming generations.

We provide the highest standard of excellence in all that we do. We are open, ethical, fair, and respect diversity as essential to our success.

We strive to conduct our work, behaviours, and interactions with other with full disclosure, transparency, and power of choice.

We treat ourselves and others with dignity and compassion and commit to the demonstration of both in every encounter.

We strive to do the best we can do and hold ourselves accountable for process and result.

We are committed to performing our duties as a youth-serving organization with humility and grace. We recognize and acknowledge that we are stewards of our environment and the organization.

Our Logo

Colours

The colours – white, red, yellow, black – represent:

  • The four directions
  • The four colours of man
  • Cold, Sunrise, Warmth, and Night

The medicine wheel is the basis of the four directions, and to honour each of these directions is to honour all mankind. The East is seen as a direction of beginnings, including infancy (the beginning of life) and spring (the beginning of a new year). The West is seen as a direction of endings and is the direction the spirit travels when it leaves this Earth.

The Medicine Wheel embodies the Four Directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree all of which symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life.

The yellow triangle is meant to be an abstract representation for the word “Area” and the two red triangles for “Management”. The circle represents the strong unity of the different catchment areas that NPAAMB services.

The feathers symbolize trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom. They also represent the five catchment areas that NPAAMB services, as well as the four Beings and one Creator.

The eagle signifies courage, wisdom, and strength. The eagle’s purpose was to be the messenger to the Creator. The eagle was believed to carry prayers to the Great Spirit in the Spirit World and also had a special connection with visions. By soaring great heights, he can travel between the physical world and the spiritual world.

Originally created by Arnold Jacobs, the emblem is a celebration of NPAAMB’s heritage and it’s future. It blends elements from its proud Indigenous roots.

Together, these elements create a story of history, pride and tradition. As a leader of the Indigenous community, the symbol establishes NPAAMB as a staple within the youth circles.