The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) was established in 1972 to represent the growing number of Friendship Centres, at the national level.

Currently, the NAFC represents the concerns of 99 core funded and 15 non-core funded Friendship Centres, as well as 7 Provincial Territorial Associations (PTA's), across Canada.

The primary objectives are: to act as a central unifying body for the Friendship Centre Movement: to promote and advocate the concerns of Aboriginal Peoples: and, to represent the needs of local Friendship Centres across the country to the federal government and to the public in general.

The NAFC is a non-profit organization governed by a voluntary Board of Directors comprised of eleven regional representatives and a youth representative. There is also a four member Executive Committee, comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.

The composition of the NAFC Board of Directors is determined by the PTA's, which each appoint one representative. Where no PTA exists, the Friendship Centre can appoint one representative. Executive Committee members are elected for two year terms, at staggared intervals, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association. The AGM is attended by delegates from each member Centre and each PTA.

The NAFC Board of Directors meets quarterly during the year and the Executive Committee normally meets once between each of the these meetings, or when special circumstances arise.

The NAFC also monitors the activities and programs of various federal government departments which have a mandate to provide either funding or services to urban Aboriginal people.

The NAFC further acts as a central communications body and facilitates external liaisons for both the Friendship Centres and the PTA's. This function ensures that the membership has timely access to information which may impact on their operations. The NAFC is also active on a number of external committees and associations which are related to urban Aboriginal people in areas such as: literacy, racism, AIDS, employment equity, economic development and justice to name a few.

History