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Métis Community Support Worker program

The Métis Community Support Worker certificate program helps learners complete their adult upgrading and post-secondary courses in an environment that incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing.

The Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) in partnership with the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) have piloted a Métis-specific Community Support Worker program. “This program… help(s) Métis participants get the skills and knowledge they need to find secure and meaningful employment while giving back to their community,” said MNBC president Clara Morin-Dal Col. “The Métis Community Support Worker program… respect(s) and honour(s) Métis culture by creating an ethical space for teaching, learning and incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing within a university setting.” The program… help(s) learners complete their adult upgrading and post-secondary courses, leading to a certificate as a social and community support worker. Learners…benefit from a full range of educational and wraparound services, including cultural elements and Elder supports, to ensure student success. (Source

Cree and Ojibwe Bilingual Program

The Winnipeg School Division is proud to initiate bilingual Cree language and Ojibwe language programs exclusively at Isaac Brock School.

The Winnipeg School Division is proud to initiate bilingual Cree language and Ojibwe language programs exclusively at Isaac Brock School.
The 2016 school year welcomed students in Kindergarten, while the 2018-19 school year will have program entry points​ in Kindergarten​ to Grade 2.
The Cree and Ojibwe Programs will center around ancestral teachings of the Grandmother Moon and the thirteen moons she carries. The programs have a land-based component as this is an important part of language learning. Culturally, there is a strong connection to the land and all the life it encompasses. In the ​Kindergarten Program, students will be fully immersed in the Cree or Ojibwe language. The Grade 1 and 2 program will be bilingual with 50% of instruction in Cree or Ojibwe and 50% in English.

Community Elder Perspective – Albina Cardinal

Elder, Albina Cardinal believes that a curriculum that is infused with Indigenous history makes progress in the healing and understanding of Indigenous communities.

Albina Cardinal is an Elder and a residential school survivor. She enjoys the opportunity to interact with students and share her experiences at residential school with students (K-3) and teachers. Cardinal has presented to teachers on professional development days held at the High Level school. These presentations provide educators with opportunities to ask questions about being a residential school survivor and teaches the students about the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Cardinal believes that it is important to learn about Indigenous history and language in order to reclaim Indigenous languages. She shared a story of when she was young and the many things she learned from her parents when she was home in the summer, fall and sometimes winter. She fondly remembers her mom making her brothers and sisters a pair of moccasins to wear at residential school when they had to return.

The Mid-Island Métis Nation – Indigenous Education Wiichihew Program

The Wiichihew Program is offered by the Mid-Island Métis Nation and serves Indigenous Students in high schools, alternative learning programs, and Vancouver Island University. It supports students by sharing resources, supports, community and cultural events, emotional support, etc. This program was established in 2016, and is available to all Indigenous Learners in High school/University level. […]

The Wiichihew Program is offered by the Mid-Island Métis Nation and serves Indigenous Students in high schools, alternative learning programs, and Vancouver Island University. It supports students by sharing resources, supports, community and cultural events, emotional support, etc. This program was established in 2016, and is available to all Indigenous Learners in High school/University level. The Coordinator is a student advocate, she connects the students to resources and resource people who can assist the student with current issues/situations as well as future goals and aspirations. The amount and type of support offered is based on the students individual needs.

Weaving a Story

Weaving a Story describes the importance of inkle looms to creating Métis sashes that are meaningful to individuals.

In the interview, Teresa Bryne discusses the meaning of the colours of the Métis sash. Through workshops, Weaving a Story tells the history of the sash, the creation of a sash on a loom, and how to create your own.

Indigenous Teacher Perspective – Penny Cardinal-Kotash

Audio interview with Indigenous Educator Penny Cardinal-Kotash perspective from Treaty 8, High Level, Alberta.

Penny Cardinal-Kotash is a Indigenous Teacher who teaches in High Level, Alberta. She is passionate about teaching students and infuses Indigenous education throughout the Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math curriculum. She utilizes her own experience to help students learn about the Cree culture but of other Indigenous cultures. Mrs. Kotash explains that Indigenous students need to see themselves in everyday society, to learn that Indigenous peoples have always been here, and to learn about their own culture and others in which each are a part of Canada’s fabric. She helps other Educators in the Division and encourages them to choose and identify where the literature originates from, as well as the region they belong to, to ensure it’s relevancy for their region. Penny Cardinal-Kotash is part of the Division’s FNMI cohort and provides resources, and support to understand we are not all the same culture and to base their teachings relative to the language and its region.

Tłı̨chǫ Government- Jim Martin

Jim Martin has worked within the Tłı̨chǫ communities in many roles over the years. Currently, he sits as the Sr. Policy Advisor in the Priorities and Planning department with the Tłı̨chǫ Government. He also works with Dedats’eetsaa: the Tłı̨chǫ Research & Training Institute.

Jim Martin has worked within the Tłı̨chǫ communities in many roles over the years. Currently, he sits as the Sr. Policy Advisor in the Priorities and Planning department with the Tłı̨chǫ Government. He also works with Dedats’eetsaa: the Tłı̨chǫ Research & Training Institute.

Neecheewam Inc. – Whole Person Learning

Cheyenne Chartrand, Spiritual Care Provider at Neecheewam Inc., explains Neecheewam’s approach to education.

Neecheewam Inc. goes beyond pedagogical programs in an effort to redefine concepts of treatment, emphasizing cohort and peer education through an “extended family” that results in whole person learning. Whole person learning requires moving beyond the text book to include academic, professional, emotional, and spiritual growth.

Victoria Linklater Memorial School Language Program

Kelsey Jaggard interviews Rachel Ombash in Sioux Lookout, Ontario at the KOBE Language Learning app launch. Rachel Works with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education as an Oji-Cree language teacher in North Spirit Bay. She describes the language program she co-facilitates with a fellow language speaker and her dreams for language education and revitalization. The […]

Kelsey Jaggard interviews Rachel Ombash in Sioux Lookout, Ontario at the KOBE Language Learning app launch. Rachel Works with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education as an Oji-Cree language teacher in North Spirit Bay. She describes the language program she co-facilitates with a fellow language speaker and her dreams for language education and revitalization. The app mentioned in the interview refers to the KOBE Language Learning applications (in Oji-Cree, Cree, and Ojibwe) that were released in November 2018 and available on the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Indigenous Knowledge a Priority for ITEP at the University of Saskatchewan

ITEP’s mandate is to build a community of knowledgeable teachers who understand and value the cultures, languages, and traditions of Indigenous students.

Since 1972, the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) has been providing culturally relevant K-12 teacher education programs leading to a Bachelor of Education degree and a Professional “A” teaching certificate. ITEP and its students endeavor to take back control of Indigenous education and provide an education that focuses on Indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions. ITEP is offered at the University of Saskatchewan with community-based programs in the communities of Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation, Big River Cree Nation, Little Pine Cree Nation, Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, Onion Lake Cree Nation, Poundmaker Cree Nation, Thunderchild Cree Nation, Canoe Lake First Nation, Battleford Agency Tribal Chiefs, Fort Smith in the North-West Territories, and Kahkewistahaw First Nation.