Shawn Atleo
Encyclopedia
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian
First Nations
activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations
. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia
, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention
on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry Bellegarde after eight rounds of voting.
He has been a hereditary chief of the Ahousaht First Nation
, part of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation, since 1999, and holds a master's degree in education from the University of Technology
in Sydney
, Australia
. He was named chancellor of Vancouver Island University in 2008, becoming the first university chancellor of aboriginal heritage in the province's history.
He has been the executive director family addictions treatment facility and of an Aboriginal post-secondary training institute, Umeek Human Resource Development. He was also a participant in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and led a delegation to assist in rebuilding indigenous communities in Indonesia
following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and its associated tsunami
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention
Assembly of First Nations leadership conventions
Assembly of First Nations leadership elections are held every three years to elect the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Each chief of a First Nation in Canada is eligible to cast a vote. Currently there are 633 eligible voters.AFN rules state that a candidate needs 60% of the...
on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry Bellegarde after eight rounds of voting.
He has been a hereditary chief of the Ahousaht First Nation
Ahousaht First Nation
The Ahousaht First Nation is a First Nation government based on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, focused on the community of Ahousaht, British Columbia. It is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council...
, part of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation, since 1999, and holds a master's degree in education from the University of Technology
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was named chancellor of Vancouver Island University in 2008, becoming the first university chancellor of aboriginal heritage in the province's history.
He has been the executive director family addictions treatment facility and of an Aboriginal post-secondary training institute, Umeek Human Resource Development. He was also a participant in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and led a delegation to assist in rebuilding indigenous communities in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and its associated tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
.