Strategic Direction 2025 – 2030

Championing Indigenous-led Solutions, Building a Future Where All Can Thrive

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (“ANFCA”) Strategic Plan as a guide for organizational action over the next five (5) years, 2025 to 2030. The Strategic Plan shares the ANFCA’s vision for how it will fulfil its vision and mission and carry out its mandated roles and responsibilities to support member Alberta Native Friendship Centres consistent of the spirit of the Friendship Centre Movement and ensuring that the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) are embedded in our work.

Our Strategic Plan is based on a vision for the future. It describes and organizes actions around seven (7) strategic goals that will lead towards achieving our vision. The ANFCA Board, Executive Committee, Councils, and staff all have a role to play in aligning our actions with our goals. 

ANFCA will be acting in various spheres of influence where it can have meaningful impact – including by providing high quality membership services to Friendship Centres, representing Alberta Friendship Centres in places and relationships of advocacy and developing frameworks for new initiatives in priority areas of concern to Friendship Centres.

Our goal is to build on the strengths of our member Friendship Centres, their communities, protecting and promoting our culture, heritage, and Indigenous rights while securing the future of the growing Indigenous population in Alberta so they thrive in all aspects of their lives.

Create Generational Impact

Build our bundles for the future through “cradle to cradle” approaches and strategies. Energize and inspire participation and inclusion in the Friendship Centre Movement across all ages, all groups and all Indigenous identities

Increase Advocacy Efforts

Uphold and promote Indigenous rights including UNDRIP enumerated rights. Advocate for access to Indigenous culturally safe programs and services, especially in areas of strategic priority for Friendship Centres and identified needs.

Uphold cultural stewardship and responsibilities

Deepen our cultural rootedness, capacity, and resiliency. Explore and express what cultural stewardship including stewardship of the land and all life means and incorporate stewardship philosophies into ANFCA governance and operations. Breathe life into all we do through inclusion and alignment with Indigenous culture, worldviews, values, and ways of knowing.

Strengthen our circle of Indigenous Governance

Create strong, inclusive ANFCA governance based on Indigenous cultural values and teachings, knowledge, and decision-making systems, and ways of working together. Ensure appropriate levels and types of participation by Elders and Youth and others within the Friendship Centre community and movement.

Enhance ANFCA sustainability and resiliency

Pursue self-reliance through holistic approaches to funding and continue to build the ANFCA social enterprise model. Continue to diversify funding sources and long-term organizational resiliency and sustainability. Grow our Friendship Centre community and Increase internal capacity in parallel with the overall strengthening of FCs, their resiliency and long term sustainability.

Increase awareness and recognition of ANFCA’s value, role and mandate

Promote awareness of ANFCA social and economic impact and value. Ensure there is broader awareness, recognition, understanding and appreciation of ANFCA’s contributions to social and economic wellbeing in the province of Alberta and to Indigenous Albertans. Celebrate our strengths, contributions, and achievements

Sustain and build initiatives and frameworks

Continue to build ANFCA and Friendship Centre capacity through existing initiatives as well as through new planned initiatives in areas of priority for Friendship Centres. Develop sector-specific strategic frameworks, strategies, and plans and obtain capacity support from provincial, federal, and other sources) in order to advance these effectively.