荔枝视频

Dr. , a member of the M茅tis Nation of Alberta and a researcher at the 荔枝视频, is placing community engagement at the centre of her work. Responding to feedback from Indigenous youth in northern Alberta schools, who noted that their curriculum lacks meaningful connections to their languages and cultural teachings, Markides has partnered with Indigenous communities to lead the Fort Vermilion School Division Partnership Project. This initiative, now in its sixth year, integrates elective Indigenous knowledge and cultural classes into their curriculum. 

鈥淔or me, this is the most important work we can be doing in education 鈥� creating space for the teachings that have been lost or oppressed,鈥� says Markides, MEd'13, PhD'20. 鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e focusing on the things youth want in their education 鈥� language and culture鈥攖hey鈥檙e coming to school. They鈥檙e engaged. They鈥檙e excited to be there.鈥� Markides is an associate professor in U荔枝视频's and , and a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Youth Wellbeing and Education with the (SSHRC).

Youth and Indigenous leaders come together

Recently, several high school youth and Indigenous community leaders who participate in this community initiative came together for a gathering in Kananaskis to share learnings, to see what language and culture-revitalization practices and strategies have worked in their schools. Both educators and student leaders had a chance to present. 

Layne Morin is a Grade 12 student who participated in the program at his school and attended the gathering. He says the program is an important part of his school.

鈥�Culture is a huge part of who you are. Like your language, your food, stuff like that. And, if you don鈥檛 know your culture, I feel like you almost feel lost, like you don鈥檛 know who you are. One of the biggest things is the language. Everyone would love to know how to speak Cree,鈥� he says. 鈥�On-the-land things like hunting, fishing, picking, medicine, moccasins and drums. All these cultural items that most people never know, like, how they鈥檙e made, even.鈥�

Keeping the language and culture alive

Darren Nanooch serves as the Cree language specialist and cultural instructor at one of Fort Vermilion鈥檚 schools. In addition to teaching students the Cree language 鈥� often introducing a 鈥淐ree word of the day鈥� 鈥� he also provides instruction on Cree-cultural teachings. The most popular cultural teaching for the young men is drumming. 鈥淭he students ask for cultural teaching and I help them. If I don鈥檛 have the knowledge, we find the Knowledge Keeper to teach them,鈥� he says. 

Nanooch says Fort Vermilion had two residential schools, which contributed to the decline of the language in the community. 鈥淚t was frowned upon to speak the language,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n turn, the survivors 鈥� which is myself, my wife, and my generation, as well 鈥� weren鈥檛 taught the language. Now our generation has to really bring back the language. That鈥檚 how I see it. As an instructor, that鈥檚 my focus.&苍产蝉辫;鈥�

Grant opens doors to build connections

Wendy Nanooch, Darren鈥檚 wife, is a success coach who works in the . Her role involves cultural programing for students and in-home support for Indigenous families.

鈥淥ur community is very assimilated. A lot of our culture has been lost. The language and the teachings," says Wendy. "With Jennifer鈥檚 grant, it has opened more doors for us to bring in our Knowledge Keepers and our Elders and build those connections and give our students more of the teachings that are needed.

鈥淲hat Jennifer did in our schools is she did interviews with the students, and she asked those students what would you want to see in the school. One of the biggest things they mentioned was language. Loss of language is huge in our area. Without the culture, we鈥檙e all a little bit lost. We just need everything that was taken from us to be given back to us. And I think the best place to do that is to start in the school, right from kindergarten all the way up to Grade 12.鈥�  

鈥�Any time we can create space within the education system to have teachings, by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, as education is us acting in the ways that we can towards reconciliation鈥� says Markides. 

The success of the program will be measured by responses and ongoing feedback from community members: leadership, Elders, family and youth.

This project is part of the Research initiative. The partnership was previously funded by an SSHRC Insight Development Grant.