Schools Help Promote Aboriginal Culture
I Am Aboriginal Campaign Helps Students Find a Sense of Identity
Jun 3, 2009
The Campaign was launched in partnership with Urban Aboriginal Youth Leading the Way and the Eshkiniijig Advisory Circle.
The Launch of the Campaign
Launched in 2007, the "I Am Aboriginal" Campaign asks students and their families to "Self-Identify" their culture by filling out a voluntary survey, whether they are of First Nations, Metis or Inuit heritage. While there is a larger population of First Nations and Metis students in the area’s schools than Inuit, Sharon Speir, Superintendent of Education and Kathy Dokis-Ranney, Principal of First Nation, Metis and Inuit Education confirmed, during an interview which took place on May 11, there has been at least one family living within the Rainbow District who identified themselves as Inuit.
There are currently 38 elementary schools and nine secondary schools within the Rainbow District. This includes areas such as Espanola, Massey and Manitoulin Island in addition to Sudbury.
Hopes for the Campaign
As the Campaign was being launched, the students were also encouraged to submit videos and posters which explained why they think this kind of initiative is important.
An informational pamphlet for the campaign was also developed which contains quotes from some of the students from elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools, expressing what they would like to see students have more access to within the schools.
Dakota Recollet who is a student at Lockerby Composite School said, “I feel it is important to identify with your Aboriginal background, so you can be proud of where you come from.”
Jericho Pettifer, a student from Sudbury Secondary School said, “Young Aboriginal people need to know where they came from and to understand the emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of their beings.”
Instilling a sense of belonging and pride within the youth are just some of the things organizers hope to achieve with this campaign.
Dokis-Ranney and Speir hope the campaign also will help in heightening graduation rates within the schools’ Aboriginal population.
Another hope that was expressed by both Speir and Dokis-Ranney is that the campaign will also help to engage Non-Aboriginal students to learn about the history, culture and languages of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. “We do see some people are not aboriginal wondering, 'can we learn to’,” says Dokis-Ranney. “There is more work to be done to grow the interest there.”
This Campaign, says Speir is the first step to providing support in celebrating culture and diversity.
Learning Aboriginal Culture
As of right now, Ojibwe is the only Aboriginal language students are learning, but the organizers do hope the resources to teach other Aboriginal languages will be available in the future.
As part of the campaign, there have also been a series of Aboriginal Youth Leadership activities involving all of the Secondary Schools in the district, to help give students a sense of the ways of living and to help build self-esteem and a sense of identity. “We just finished on May 11,” said Dokis-Ranney (in an emailed statement), who was able to see first-hand what the students were experiencing during these events. “It was absolutely amazing outdoor education component, traditional survival skills, cooking on the fire, traditional foods, and traditional games. They also made there own shelters on the land. It took place at Whitefish Lake First Nation.”
The "I am Aboriginal Campaign" gives the students the opportunity to not only learn about Aboriginal culture in a classroom setting, but (through the Youth Leadership activities) they have also had the chance to experience the "out on the land" aspect, as they learned to build teepees and cook banik over a fire.
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