Red River College Continuing Studies instructor Ursula Neufeld has helped transform one of Main Street’s most colourful landmarks into a similarly eclectic downtown showpiece, while at the same time providing a creative outlet for those struggling with mental illness, addiction and homelessness.

Neufeld, a local visual artist who teaches Early Childhood Education courses at RRC, has for the last two years served in a lead role on a community arts project launched by local artists at the Red Road Lodge, 631 Main St. (formerly the New Occidental Hotel, now a transitional housing complex for at-risk individuals).

The result is a stunning outdoor mosaic located on the Lodge’s north-facing wall — one that’s inspired by traditional Aboriginal teachings, but also reflective of the diverse backgrounds of the hundreds of people who’ve contributed to its completion.

“We wanted to do something beautiful for the neighbourhood — to share in the creative process with the people here,” says Neufeld of the creative types behind Studio 631, an arts and culture resource housed within the Lodge. “But they didn’t just want to do a painting — they wanted to do something different.” Read More →

Just in time for the holiday season, Red River College students in the Creative Communications program are putting their skills to good use by holding a radiothon in support of the Christmas Cheer Board today. “Kickin in for Christmas Cheer” will be broadcast on the campus radio station, 92.9 KICK FM from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The students are entirely responsible for promoting, producing and being on-air during the radiothon on Thursday,” says Red River College’s radio instructor, Dan Vadeboncoeur. “Creative Communications gives the students the skills they need to put on events like this and I am extremely proud of how far they’ve come since the beginning of the program.”

Students will have hampers set up at both the Exchange District and Notre Dame Campuses on Thursday, and are inviting students and the public to bring a non-perishable food item or a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Christmas Cheer Board.

Welding instructor Gary McCallum gives students a welding demonstration during the third annual Youth in Manufacturing Expo. (Photo courtesy Winnipeg Free Press)

Middle school students from throughout Manitoba will get a first hand look at the manufacturing industry today, while taking part in an expo aimed at encouraging teens to begin thinking about their post-secondary and career options.

The third annual Youth in Manufacturing expo, taking place Thu., Dec. 1, 2011, at Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus, will give Grade 9 and 10 students from local schools a chance to explore the impact of the manufacturing sector on Manitoba’s economy. It will also provide them with a range of industry-related educational options to consider as they begin planning for life after high school.

“The world of manufacturing may have changed, but one thing has remained constant — the need for highly skilled workers,” says Lori Royal, Program Director at Skills Canada Manitoba. “Computers, advanced technologies and processes are redefining the way products are designed and produced. Innovation, improvement and increased productivity are no longer the future — they’re the norm.”

During the morning, students will take part in one of four offsite industry tours (at Duha Group, MacDon, Motor Coach Industries and WinPak), where they’ll learn about the innovative processes and practices that allow local manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace. Read More →

Red River College’s Rebels athletes played mentor to junior high school students from across the province over the weekend, at a volleyball tournament and skills camp aimed at further strengthening our teams’ ties to the community.

At the second annual Rebels Boys Classic, held Nov. 5th and 6th at the College’s Notre Dame Campus, teams from 11 junior high schools throughout Manitoba took part in a combined tourney and skills clinic led by athletes on RRC’s Rebels Men’s Volleyball team.

A similar event — the Rebels Girls Classic — was held two weekends prior, drawing players from 14 junior high girls teams throughout the province.

Read More →

Elder Ann Callahan (back row), with children attending the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children's Centre on Selkirk Avenue.

Red River College has added yet another entry to its growing list of community partnerships aimed at bringing early childhood education training to residents of Winnipeg’s inner city.

Launched last week in partnership with the Urban Circle Training Centre and the University of Manitoba’s Inner-city Campus, the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children’s Centre serves as the College’s first demonstration childcare centre, and represents its commitment to providing community residents with increased access to programs promoting child and family supports.

It’s the latest in a series of initiatives involving the College’s Community Services department and such community-based organizations as Urban Circle and Ndinawe. All of the programs are delivered within a two-block stretch of Selkirk Avenue, providing valuable opportunities to residents seeking to further their education while remaining in the neighbourhood.

Read More →

Red River College is pleased to announce its second Aboriginal youth summer camp for boys and girls aged 11 to 13 years.

The Hands-on Activity Week for Kids (H.A.W.K.) will run from Monday, July 25th to Friday, July 29th, from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Participants will enjoy cultural programming in RRC’s Medicine Wheel Garden, recreation time and team building games, as well as fun and engaging hands-on activities that will provide an introduction to the skilled trades and technologies in programs such as Construction Trades, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering Technology/Manufacturing and Civil Engineering.

There are only 16 spots available in this year’s camp, so be sure to register your son or daughter as soon as possible. Once the camp is full, a wait list will be developed.

In order to register, your application must be completed in full, including a $50 refundable deposit that will be returned the last day of the camp.  Registration forms can be found online: http://www.rrc.mb.ca/index.php?pid=6830

To learn more, please contact:

Lisa Carriere, H.A.W.K. Coordinator
Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations

Phone: 204-632-3773
Email: licarriere@rrc.mb.ca

Students from Red River College's Culinary Arts program are helping to raise money for disaster relief efforts in Japan.

Natasha Dyck and Jesse Friesen — recent Culinary Arts grads working at Tre Visi and Lobby On York, respectively — are both featured in the inaugural edition of the Canadian Culinary Federation's Made in Canada: A Collection of Recipes from Canada's Junior Chefs, an 18-month calendar highlighting the accomplishments of junior chefs from coast-to-coast.

Proceeds from the sale of the calendar were originally to go towards the 2011 Bidvest World Cooks Tour Against Hunger in South Africa, as well as the Junior Chefs Initiative in Canada. But Culinary Arts instructor Tim Appleton says his students have decided to instead donate $10 from every $20 calendar sold to World Chefs Without Borders, a humanitarian aid initiative by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS).

To order a calendar, contact Tim Appleton at tappleton@rrc.mb.ca.

A pair of Red River College graduates are featured prominently in the first-ever Canadian Culinary Federation calendar celebrating junior chefs from across the country.

Culinary Arts grads Natasha Dyck and Jesse Friesen — now working at Tre Visi and Lobby On York, respectively — are both featured in the inaugural edition of the Federation's Made in Canada: A Collection of Recipes from Canada's Junior Chefs, an 18-month calendar highlighting the accomplishments of junior chefs from coast-to-coast.

The calendar features images of (and links to recipes for) Dyck's pan-seared Atlantic salmon and Friesen's lobster salad, along with a number of additional mouthwatering entries. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go towards the 2011 Bidvest World Cooks Tour Against Hunger in South Africa (click here for more info), as well as the Junior Chefs Initiative in Canada.

Click here to view biographical information for all the junior chefs featured in the calendar, or to print out the monthly recipes. (Don't worry if you can't find Dyck's or Friesen's recipes just yet — they're being rolled out slowly, on a month-by-month basis.)

Click here for more information about RRC's Culinary Arts program.