Reconciliation Archives - Page 11 of 12

Blanket Exercise/Cultural Competency Training – MNFC – Debbie Eisan – Elder – Halifax, NS

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Lisa Jodoin

Debbie Eisan, Community Events Planner and Resident Elder at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, discusses her work with the Blanket Ceremony and Cultural Competency Training in Halifax.

Debbie Eisan, Community Events Planner and Resident Elder at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, discusses her work with the Blanket Ceremony and Cultural Competency Training in Halifax.

Blanket Exercise and Cultural Competency Training – Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre – Denise John – Victim Support Navigator – Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted on by Lisa Jodoin

Denise John, leader of the Blanket Exercise at the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre in Halifax, discusses the importance of the Blanket Exercise and the powerful ways it acts as an educational tool for Cultural Competency Training.

Community Education Programs at Regina Treaty Status Indian Services (RTSIS)

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Yvonne Benjoe

Erica Beaudin has been the Executive Director of the Regina Treaty Status Indian Services since 2007 and she discusses the importance of the organization’s community education programs.

The Regina Treaty Status Indian Services (RTSIS) is an organization owned by the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council and the File Hills-Qu’Appelle Tribal Council. RTSIS is the only Indigenous owned services agency providing services for Urban First Nations and First Nations transitioning to and from reserve. RTSIS is committed to honouring the Treaty and inherent rights of Indigenous people in Treaty Four territory by offering a variety of programs and training opportunities which support each nation’s language, culture, and identity. Specifically, their community based education programs include: the Red Feather Youth Integration Program, which supports youth transitioning from the criminal justice system and reintegrating into society; the Treaty Four Education Centre offers adult education with individualized learning plans based on interests and abilities; and the Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program addresses emotional health and wellness through both front-line services as well as through workshops on suicide prevention, parenting skills, intergenerational addictions, etc. For more information about RTSIS and their programs please visit http://fhqtc.com/rtsis/.

St. Augustine School: Building Capacity through Collaboration

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Kaitlyn Walcheske

St. Thomas Aquinas School Division (STAR) and Nipisihkopahk Educational Authority (NEA) have entered into a education partnership through an Alberta Education Grant- “Building Capacity Through Collaboration.” Together, these schools are sharing, teaching, learning and collaborating on best practices in education.

Social Media as a Language Teaching Tool

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Heather O'Watch

Solomon Ratt uses Facebook to engage students and community members in learning Cree.

Solomon Ratt, Cree Language Professor at First Nations University of Canada, discusses how his Cree Language Facebook group has helped students and community members learn Cree. A few years ago, Solomon began engaging his Cree language student’s, outside of regular class time, by creating Cree language videos for them to learn and practice. He uploads Cree language videos to the Facebook group, and now the group has grown from students to community members, and eventually to global learners. A community formed within the Facebook group and now more people than ever are logging on and engaging in learning Cree. Solomon hopes that alongside technological developments the Cree language will be revitalized and reclaimed.

Chief Whitecap School – An Alliance with Saskatoon Public Schools

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Timothy Merasty

The Principal and Counsellor from Chief Whitecap School and the Superintendent from Saskatoon Public Schools discuss the importance of the alliance that brought about the school.

In partnership between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Saskatoon Public Schools, Chief Whitecap School embodies the vision of provincially mandated curriculum taught in a good way and in alignment with Dakota First Nations culture, language, and traditions. With funding from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Chief Whitecap School is the designated school for Whitecap Dakota First Nation students in Grade 5-8. The funding helps to reduce the education and graduation gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students which has given opportunities for continued Dakota cultural learning and language acquisition. This partnership is committed to reconciliation as it works towards the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. The success of the school is determined within the relationships of the partners, teachers, students, and community.

Neeched Up Games

Posted on by Timothy Merasty

Neeched Up Games plays a unique role in educating students and teachers about Indigenous history and culture in Saskatchewan.

Owner of the social enterprise, Neeched Up Games, Janelle Pewapsconias, leads youth leadership and empowerment workshops, creates apps, and promotes role playing games that teach students and adults the history of Indigenous people in Canada. Pewapsconias hopes to bridge knowledge gaps between Canadians and Indigenous people in order to better understand Indigenous history, decolonization, identity, culture, empowerment, and sense of belonging. The Neeched Up subscription pack is available to teachers to both support their learning and to help them teach about treaties and reconciliation. To learn more about Neeched Up Games and the 2-4 hour workshops visit: https://neechedupgames.wordpress.com.

Contemporary Indigenous Art at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Gallery

Posted on by Timothy Merasty

Felicia Gay is the Gallery Curator at Wanuskewin Heritage Park and she discusses contemporary Indigenous art, arts programming, and curatorship within the interpretive center.

The Wanuskewin Gallery focuses on contemporary Indigenous art with content accessible to people five years old and older. As an interpretive center, Wanuskewin interprets the culture of the people on the northern plains through archeology, ethnography, traditional ceremony, and food. Felicia Gay believes that Indigenous education involves Indigenous history and contemporary worldviews. The stories and narratives of Indigenous people need to be disseminated to the wider public in order for Indigenous people to be better understood. The objective of the gallery is to relay the Indigenous worldview through contemporary narratives inclusive of history, post-colonialism, and Indigenous superheroes – trickster, etc. Though Indigenous visual culture has focused on traditional art, the gallery introduces people to contemporary Indigenous art created by people in Saskatchewan, with a large number of artists coming from Saskatoon.

Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre – Circle of Voices Program

Posted on 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.

Tsuu’tina Nation Gunaha Language Institute

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