Posted on May 22, 2018 by Timothy Merasty
Jennifer Bishop and Marcel Petit highlight the transformative process that occurs during the Circle of Voices Program.
Since 1999, each year the Circle of Voices Program has offered fifteen participants, ages 15-24, a safe place to learn about theatre and career pathways while exploring identity through cultural learning. The youth are immersed in learning from cultural and arts-based leaders in an after-school program from October to March. Participants come to the program ready to push their boundaries and change patterns for personal growth and development. Participants often leave the program with the cultural knowledge and skills needed to have confidence in their abilities and their voice. They also develop close relationships with their peers and mentors that sustain them in their personal and professional endeavors.
*Photo credit goes to GTNT and Cory Standing.
Posted on by Timothy Merasty
A national mathematics contest for Indigenous youth on reserves in Grades 4-6.
Dr. Arzu Sardarli is an Associate Professor of Physics and Mathematics in the Department of Indigenous Science, The Environment, and Economic Development at First Nations University of Canada. Since 2008, Dr. Sardarli has been leading Math contests for students between Grades 4-6 who are living on-reserve. Supported by their teachers, up to five hundred students compete each year from reserve schools between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. The competition is strong. Students finishing in first, second, and third place receive certificates of participation and the first-place winner becomes that year’s national winner. Dr. Sardarli believes that this competition builds a network of students and teachers who are connected around this topic.
Posted on by Yvonne Benjoe
Lori Whiteman, Executive Director of the Treaty Education Alliance, describes their land-based programs and services.
The Treaty Education Alliance (TEA) offers educational programs and services for schools and communities. With funding from INAC they are able to serve K-12 schools using an inherent and Treaty Rights-Based Approach. The Alliance aims to increase student retention, numeracy, literacy, and community engagement. The Learning the Land program builds land-based learning capacity for teachers while working alongside language keepers and local Knowledge Keepers. The Alliance also partners with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Outbound Canada for their programs. To learn more about their programs please review their resources below.
Check out Learning the Land website for educational initiatives undertaken to exercise the inherent and treaty rights to education.
In partnership with Outward Bound Canada, the Treaty Education Alliance offers Field Leader Training as professional development opportunities for teachers and affiliated schools. Check out this video!
Posted on by Heather O'Watch
Rose Roberts, Education Development Specialist (Indigenous Engagement and Education) with the Indigenous Voices shares with us the importance of the initiative.
As a member of the Indigenous Voices team at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Saskatchewan, Rose Roberts helps faculty and staff in the process of indigenization. She supports faculty in learning about the true history of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan while also valuing Indigenous and Western knowledge within our educational institutions. Rose Roberts reminds us of the saying, “before we can have reconciliation we have to know the truth.” The university is transitioning its courses to be inclusive of Indigenous paradigms and offer multiple ways of learning.
Follow the link below to learn about the Traditional Garden on campus.
https://teachingtest.usask.ca/traditional-garden/index.php
The institutional commitment to indigenize academia has been integrated into the University of Saskatchewan’s institutional plan. Take a look by following the link.
https://teaching.usask.ca/curriculum/indigenization.php#WhatisIndigenization
Posted on by Heather O'Watch
Founder, Belinda Daniels discusses the nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience that takes place annually in Saskatchewan as a week-long immersive Cree language course.
The nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience was formed in early 2005 in efforts to revitalize the Cree language with an intensive summer language course open to anyone willing to learn Cree. With applications growing every year for the summer experience, wait lists have been added to ensure participants can look forward to the experience with a one-week immersion course that is land-based. Belinda Daniels shares her efforts to bring language and land together in education through the nêhiyawak Summer Language Experience’s success.
Posted on by Yvonne Benjoe
Schools in SK must legally teach Treaty education, honour and recognize Indigenous ways of knowing, and provide opportunities for students to engage in cultural and language revitalization.
Scott Collegiate is a high school in Regina, Saskatchewan that provides unique educational opportunities for students in Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. The student population is 90% Indigenous and their programs reflect Indigenous education and aims to increase attendance and graduation rates while developing community. The school’s programs include: the Learning and Re-engagement Program, the Land-Based Program, the Elder-in-Residence Program, and the Grade 9 and 10 Cree Language Program. The school also works in partnership with the Regina Public Library, Lumsden Beach Camp, and First Nations University of Canada to bring quality programming to their students. Elders within Scott Collegiate are valuable Knowledge Keepers who share their culture and language with the school and community. For more information, visit: https://scottcollegiate.rbe.sk.ca/
Posted on May 18, 2018 by Kimberly White Quills
Tsuut’ina Nation language director Steven Crowchild speaks on the direction that his program is heading and the future of the Tsuut’ina Nation language program
Tsuut’ina Nation language director Steven Crowchild speaks on the direction that his program is heading and the future of the Tsuut’ina Nation language program
