Global – March 12, 2017
There’s a new class in Yorkton, Sask., for First Nation students that’s laying a good foundation for their future. In Construction 101, students from grades 10 to 12 are learning how to build a tiny house. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has partnered with Your Choice Homes to empower youth by teaching them a trade.
Kids Express Feelings in Art
The Chronicle-Journal – Feb 20, 2017
The kids produced the works, but it was artist Saul Williams who was beaming the most when the week was done. Williams, a woodland artist who is also the education director for the North Caribou Lake First Nation (also known as Weagamow First Nation) Education Authority, was brought in to hold a three-day arts workshop at Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school.
Anishinaabemowin Omiinigoziin App First to Feature Treaty 3 Dialect
Kenora Daily Miner and News – March 2, 2017
The Anishinaabemowin Omiinigoziin app, which translates to “The Anishinaabe language is a gift that we were given” was released to the public at the Kenora Catholic District School Board [KCDSB] winter powwow on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The release followed more than a year of development by Darrick Baxter of Ogoki Learning Systems Inc. with the help of teachers, students, elders and Treaty 3 Knowledge Keepers.
City Acts to Make First Nations Students Feel More Welcome
TBT News – March 2, 2017
The City of Thunder Bay is moving forward with recommendations made last year following an inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations youth attending high school in the city. Evidence presented during the inquest indicated there was a lack of recreational and extracurricular activities for the students to participate in while in Thunder Bay, separated from their families. City clerk John Hannam said on Tuesday that it’s important the students and their families are made to feel welcome in the city.
First Nations Education Forum Tackles Shortfalls in Funding, Cultural Knowledge and Persistent Social Issues
CBC – March 2, 2017
The Liberals pledged billions to fix it before backtracking on some of their plans, now hundreds of First Nations leaders across the country are gathering in Calgary to talk amongst themselves about how best to tackle the perennial problem of education on reserves. The Assembly of First Nations national forum is examining issues and new models in education that will help close the gap in K-12 and post-secondary education for Indigenous students in Canada.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/first-nations-education-calgary-afn-1.4005786
‘I’m in disbelief’: Advocate Overwhelmed by Number of Indigenous Children in Care
CBC – March 1, 2017
The statistics on child welfare and education in Indigenous communities are grim. The government spends $2,000 less per Indigenous student per year than non-Indigenous students. The number of First Nations children taken from their families is three times the number of children that were taken from their families at the height of the residential school system.
Indigenous Programs Gain Ground on Campuses
Toronto star – Feb. 23, 2017
“Indigenous programs are able to implement different ways of thinking,” says Rice, dean of OCAD University’s indigenous art program. “It counters the oppressive nature that has been placed against us with residential schools and loss of language. It’s recovering all these elements that are key to a traditional education system.”
