March 20, 2024

Kenjgewin Teg and Mitacs have partnered to bring new funding and supports to Kenjgewin Teg’s staff, students, and partner organizations. Under the partnership, Kenjgewin Teg staff and students will have access to Mitacs funding opportunities, programs, and training. The institution’s partner organizations will also have the opportunity to secure funding to further advance Indigenous-driven research. “Kenjgewin Teg is excited to continue building a solid foundation as we begin moving forward in Anishinabek research in ways that are relevant and useful not only to Anishinabek education but to our Nation too,” said Kenjgewin Teg President Beverley Roy. “An important part of this work includes attracting and recruiting Indigenous and Anishinabek researchers, scholars, and graduate students to help us identify research priorities for the benefit of future generations.”

The Government of Canada has announced over $170M in funding for 24 projects that will bring new training opportunities to Indigenous workers. The projects will provide training for work in the green economy, the information and communications technology sector, the infrastructure sector, the blue economy, and the Indigenous public sector. The organizations leading the projects include the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (ACCESS) in British Columbia, which will provide technical training for the skilled trades; the Gabriel Dumont Institute Training and Employment Inc in Saskatchewan, which will train Métis citizens for work in the health sector; and the Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership in Newfoundland & Labrador, which will offer career-counselling and training for work in underground mining. “These initiatives not only address skills shortages in Canada but also contribute to the empowerment of our Indigenous peoples through meaningful employment,” said ACCESS President Lynn White.

The First Nations University of Canada is launching new programming focused on the fields of journalism and education for Indigenous students. The Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Journalism and Communication Arts will blend multimedia training with training on Indigenous issues and languages. “The degree is unique and long overdue,” said FNU President Dr Jacqueline Ottmann. “We need Indigenous voices and perspectives to tell our stories accurately and respectfully.” Students who are currently in FNU’s Indigenous Communication Arts program will be able to transfer into the program. FNU has also received over $100K to deliver two new teacher education programs: the Dene Teacher Education Program in Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation and the Cree Teacher Education Program in Waterhen Lake First Nation. The programs—which are delivered in partnership with the University of Regina—enable students to pursue their Bachelor of Indigenous Education while staying in their communities.

The Squamish Nation Language Nest Program has found a new home in a 112-year-old schoolhouse now called ta tsíptspi7lhḵn (“voices of the nest” in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim). The building was moved across the Burrard Inlet after being marked for demolition to make way for an elementary school. It will provide a permanent home for the immersive early education program, which teaches babies and toddlers the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim language. “As soon as we stepped foot in this building, it felt like home,” said head teacher Kaiya Williams, who described how the schoolhouse is designed so that parents and families can join the programming and spend time sitting or eating with their children. Squamish Hereditary Chief Xalek/Sekyu Siyam Ian Campbell said the original building did not reflect Indigenous epistemologies, but that the building’s transformation is an example of reconciliation. “It’s how do we draw forward more collaboration and a common sort of shared value on purpose, and that’s really about our children,” said Campbell.

Eabametoong First Nation is working hard to set up a temporary school in time for the Fall after its only school was destroyed by arson. The John C Yesno Education Centre was destroyed by a fire on January 25, displacing 300 K-9 students. “There’s a real positive feeling that we are going to open a school for our children to go this fall,” said Eabametoong First Nation Chief Solomon Atlookan. Government of Canada Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu announced that the federal government is investing over $13M to help the community bring in and furnish five modular buildings to support learning in the community. In the meantime, CBC reports that about a dozen grade 9 students have been sent to Thunder Bay—where youth typically go to complete their high school education—to complete their semester at the Matawa Education and Care Centre. After the temporary school has been established, Eabametoong will return to its planning for a new school for the community.

The University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Fine Arts has received a Blackfoot name from Iikaisskini (Low Horn) Dr Leroy Little Bear. The new name—Piiksinaasin—means Manifesting Beauty. “In many Indigenous communities, art is very much a part of our ways. It’s on the rocks, it’s on our tipis, each one with their own meaning,” explained Little Bear. “Each one of those arts has a name, there’s a story behind it.” ULethbridge faculty dean Dr Heather Davis-Fisch noted that the name gifted to the faculty comes with the ongoing responsibility of serving Indigenous students and the Blackfoot community, as well as the opportunity to reflect on the faculty’s work to date on supporting Indigenization.

Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) is planning to replace its traditional Grade 11 English course with an Indigenous Education course. While the board has offered the course as an elective since 2015, the replacement was recently piloted in four of the board’s schools. After taking into account feedback from students and teachers, superintendent Jeff Crowell said that the course will be mandatory in all of the board’s secondary schools next year. “We have a plethora of Indigenous authors, writers, poets, and playwrights that haven’t had the venue to be able to teach our youth,” said HCDSB Indigenous Education Advisor Sherry Saevil. Saevil added that the course will prepare students for success in postsecondary where they may be required to complete an Indigenous Studies course.

Capilano University has launched a new website font—BC Sans—which accurately displays the special characters and syllabics found in British Columbia’s Indigenous languages. The font is aligned with CapilanoU’s Envisioning 2030 plan and its commitment to inclusive, accessible experiences. “The new font aligns with CapU’s values and respectful practices and ensures our font is highly readable and capable of displaying Indigenous languages properly,” said CapilanoU Manager of Creative Cari Bird. BC Sans is a free, open-source typeface that was developed with input by FirstVoices and investments by the Government of British Columbia.

Two educational organizations have launched new programs that will teach Indigenous students to fight fires. Camp Molly—a camp that empowers and prepares girls and young women to pursue a career in firefighting—is expanding to offer four all-Indigenous programs in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Campers will learn about topics such as auto extrication, fire prevention and suppression, and firefighter survival training while interacting with strong female role models. Yellowhead Tribal College is teaching students how to spot wildfires from the sky as part of its Environmental Monitoring and Drone Technician Certificate program. Aboriginal Training Services CEO Darcy Hunt explained that graduates of the program will be able to help keep their traditional lands safe from wildfires. The program is funded by the Indian Resource Council, which represents 130 First Nations, and is free to Indigenous applicants.

Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) students recently had the opportunity to participate in a Métis-math collaboration called First Nations and Métis Math Voices. During the session, three Métis knowledge keepers led a class of Grade 6 students through the creation of a bracelet using the First Nations art form of loom beading and mathematical concepts. Students designed their own bracelets using math concepts such as transformations, ratios, and rates and learned how to revise their calculations to create a bracelet with a different size of beads. Students learned cultural lessons and teachings from the knowledge keepers as they made their bracelets. “There are so many cultural teachings that are interwoven through the project,” said Lakehead University mathematics education researcher Ruth Beatty, who spearheaded the initiative. “It isn’t just about mathematical investigations, but it really is learning those important cultural lessons and teachings from knowledge keepers.”