Entrepreneurial climate shifting: Aboriginal women-led businesses up by 406 per cent. (Aboriginal Business).In 1971, a few dedicated and committed women met and founded the Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA ONWA Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) ). The association is a non-profit voluntary organization, which has been instrumental in advocating and establishing programs on social; education, economic and justice issues affecting Aboriginal women and their families. The ONWA has fostered, built and maintained bonds and relationships with community-based organizations to deliver a multiplicity mul·ti·plic·i·ty n. pl. mul·ti·plic·i·ties 1. The state of being various or manifold: the multiplicity of architectural styles on that street. 2. of programs and services, to the people of this area and the province. Having an established presence at the municipal and provincial level for more than 25 years ensures that our access to information is extremely high, and the referrals that we can provide to our clients is enhanced because of this. The association has entered negotiations with various provincial ministries to increase the variety of services it presently offers to the Aboriginal community in Ontario. Success is best achieved through the fostering of close associations with groups who have a history of providing support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services to their group of individuals. Outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. programs funded by the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Women's Directorate The Ontario Women's Directorate is a government agency under the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration responsible for women's issues, specifically: violence against women and economic independence. and Canadian Canadian (kənā`dēən), river, 906 mi (1,458 km) long, rising in NE New Mexico. and flowing E across N Texas and central Oklahoma into the Arkansas River in E Oklahoma. Heritage have allowed the association to provide more economic and business development initiatives. As a result of the variety of initiatives ONWA undertakes, we have become a resource tool for many organizations requiring information and statistics about Aboriginal women in Ontario. The ONWA is diverse and culturally sensitive to the needs of its membership and believes that the Aboriginal Business Service Network assists the membership by providing an opportunity to access resources to ultimately become self-reliant. Aboriginal women are Canada's largest untapped resource. The entrepreneurial en·tre·pre·neur n. A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture. [French, from Old French, from entreprendre, to undertake; see enterprise. culture is changing to further accommodate women entrepreneurs. Estimates of female entrepreneurship en·tre·pre·neur n. A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture. [French, from Old French, from entreprendre, to undertake; see enterprise. indicate that: * In 1975 less than 19 per cent of self-employed Canadians were women * In 1992 women created 33 per cent of new firms in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. * Now, one-third of self-employed Canadians are women. * The growth of Aboriginal women entrepreneurs from 1981-1996 has doubled that for women in general in Canada. (406 per cent vs. 183 per cent) In addition, the Aboriginal population is projected to grow 52 per cent over the next 25 years and the median age is expected to increase from 22.6 years in 1991 to 32.4 years by 2016. The 1996 census shows 20,195 Aboriginal people were self-employed in Canada. This is an increase of 170 per cent from 1981. The Aboriginal population is projected to grow by 52 per cent by the year 2016 compared to 22 per cent for non-Aboriginal Canadians. The Aboriginal population comprises 5.8 per cent (6,510) of the total Thunder Bay Thunder Bay, city (1991 pop. 113,946), SW Ont., Canada, on Thunder Bay inlet of Lake Superior. The city was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and two adjoining townships. population. Only 3.98 per cent of all Aboriginal adults aged 15 years of age and older own a business compared to 7.9 per cent for the Canadian average. The growth in the number of Aboriginal women entrepreneurs is double for women in general. Locally Aboriginal entrepreneurs comprise 20 per cent of the total entrepreneurial activity in Thunder Bay. ONWA has identified business development as an integral component of the process to increase the economic status of its members by providing opportunities and the necessary resources to become self-sufficient. We work collectively with in-house programs, government ministries, agencies, and organizations to foster and cultivate cul·ti·vate tr.v. cul·ti·vat·ed, cul·ti·vat·ing, cul·ti·vates 1. a. To improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till. b. economic independence in our clients. Internal and external partnerships have been instrumental in the development and growth of the Aboriginal Business Service Network. Loretta Sky, a business information officer with Aboriginal Business Service Network in Thunder Bay.
Self-Employment Growth, 1981-96
Percentage
Series 1 Series 2
Aboriginal People
Female 406%
Male 114%
All Canadians
Female 183%
Male 37%
Note: Table made from bar graph
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