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A Friendship Centre is a non-profit community centre and Aboriginal program/service delivery organization located in many towns and cities in Canada to provide services to urban Aboriginals: Inuit, Métis, First Nations Non-Status and Non-Aboriginal people who live in urban areas. Native Friendship Centres have existed for more than 50 years, and are located in all provinces and territories. In 2004 there were 116 centres which served 750,000 individuals through 900 separate programs and services. The main coordinating body for Friendship Centres is the National Association of Friendship Centres.〔http://www.nafc-aboriginal.com/PDF/NAFC%20News%20Release%20-%20English.pdf〕 == Beginnings and early history == The Friendship Centre Movement is a collective group of Aboriginal organizations in Canada. The Friendship Centre Movement (FCM) and the concept of a "Friendship Centre" began in 1951 with the registration of the first Friendship Centre as a society in Toronto, Ontario called the "North American Indian Club". In 1952, the 2nd Friendship Centre opened in Vancouver, British Columbia called the "Coqualeetza Fellowship Club" and in 1959 the 3rd Friendship Centre opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba called the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, which was the first Friendship Centre to officially incorporate. By 1968, there were a total of 26 Friendship Centres in Canada, in 1983 there were 80 Friendship Centres in Canada, and in 2009, there are 118 Friendship Centres in Canada, and 7 Provincial/Territorial Associations (PTA's) representing the collective interests of the local Friendship Centres. In the early 1950s in Canada, a noticeable number of Aboriginal people were moving from reserves to the larger urban areas of Canada, primarily to seek an improved quality of life. In an effort to address the needs expressed by their communities, concerned individuals began to push for the establishment of specialized agencies. These agencies would provide referrals and offer counselling on matters of employment, housing, education, health and liaison with other community organizations. During the 1950s and 1960s, Friendship Centres were largely autonomous. They relied primarily on volunteers and were funded by fundraising activities, churches, service groups, and small grants. As the demand for services by urban and migrating First Nations, Inuit and Métis people increased so did the number of Friendship Centres. The nature of programming and services and critical need for more funding was quickly amplified. In the late 1960s, Friendship Centres began to organize into Provincial / Territorial Association's (PTAs). In 1969, a steering committee of Friendship Centres was struck to examine the feasibility of establishing a national body to represent the growing number of Centres. By 1968, the involvement and effectiveness of Friendship Centres led to the expansion of the concept and operational model to 26 communities. In 1972, the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) was incorporated to act as a communications link in Ottawa, Ontario. The NAFC's primary responsibility was to monitor activities and programs provided by the various federal departments. The NAFC also initiated discussions with the federal government to provide greater resources through Friendship Centres to migrating and urban Aboriginal peoples. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Native Friendship Centre」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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