St Vital Catholic School offers Michif Prekindergarten

St Vital Catholic School has opened its Michif Prekindergarten Program, where the next generation of Métis children will be able to embrace their heritage by learning their language and culture. Children attend four days a week, engaging in outdoor play, weekly smudging ceremonies, and other experiences while learning the Michif language. Community member Helen Trotchie told Battlefords Now that the unveiling of the program brought her “a sense of relief,” as it meant that her grandchildren would not face the same oppression she experienced as a child. Provincial Métis Youth Council President Autumn Laing-LaRose also emphasized the importance of the program, asserting that Michif is at risk of going extinct as a language. “We have lower fluency rates than Cree and Dëne in our province,” said Laing-LaRose. “It is something that we need to start prioritizing soon.”

Battlefords Now