Assembly of First Nations: Virtual Summit

A group of more than 30 First Nations people gathered at Centennial College last Thursday to watch the online AFN Conference on post secondary education for aboriginal peoples. We viewed the webcast from our Pimooteewin classroom.

The AFN was filming in Vancouver, Canada at the Vancouver Island University with more than 400 online viewers from dozens of schools and locations around the country.

Many speakers discussed their passions to get into post secondary institutions and expand their careers. Lots of stories were told of different communities promoting native aspects in their schools, with Elders and traditional teachings being brought into the classroom and by paying attention to the dynamics of indigenous peoples.

Obstacles are commonly seen amongst aboriginal students, including getting stuck in an $8-per-hour job because they are lacking a Grade 12 equivalency. They are often being pulled in many directions with family and other obligations, and many housing issues arise. Students require extra help such as with assisted tutoring services or other transitional support to move into the college and university levels of learning, but not every institution is aware of nor offers such assistance.

The feedback was overwhelming and supportive.

The webcast ended with an eight-year-old listener's comments. She is currently taking Cree syllabics in Alberta but she said that when she grew up, she wished she could go to college and speak Cree with others.

Check out the << full broadcast >> here, along with all the materials and questions that were provided for the listeners and participants. 

Posted by Karen

The Final Semester Begins!

Pimooteewin Pathways has reached the third semester of the year-long pilot program at Centennial College.

Tuesday started with quite an energetic classroom, full of both new and returning students. Nearly 20 students joined in for the day's agenda of traditional ceremonies and activities to open up the term. The guest Elders told us stories from the grandfather teachings, the four medicines and directions, and the medicine wheel throughout the day.

Wanda sang traditional songs while beating her drum, and told us stories about the strawberry and other life lessons. Joseph later shared his stories of the 6 eagle feathers and 4 turtle rattles entrusted to him, and couldn't stress enough the importance of getting -- and maintaining! -- a useful education in life. 

Wednesday found all the students in the first classes: English in the morning and Math in the afternoon. Students also attended their first Self Direction, Self Management class on Thursday morning.

On Friday morning, Ronald shared his knowledge of the sacred medicine tobacco during the morning class. He showed us how he lays out items to the four directions with colour, medicine, and special rocks. We heard him play two different wooden flutes (which later led to an impromptu jam session with frogs and a drum, during the break) and he helped guide us on our own journeys through the music.

Hint for next week?
We're creating an important item for our own bundles...

Posted by Karen

The Royal Ontario Museum Trip

Our Pimooteewin class took a field trip downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum last semester in December.

We spent the day visiting different galleries at the ROM, including the Canadian First Peoples section and special exhibition of Chinese Terracotta Warriors. We also spent some time roaming through rooms filled with million-year old dinosaur bones, experienced the Bat Cave, viewed live fish and bugs, compared bird sizes, and discovered hundreds of beautiful gemstones...

Check out this < VIDEO LINK > for highlights of the day.

One class assignment for the ROM asked students to interview each other about any interesting findings in the galleries. This < VIDEO LINK > is a compilation of those interviews from our "Nongo News" correspondents... ("Nongo" means "today" in Ojibwe.)

Posted by Karen

Scarborough Bluffs

One of the highlights in the Fall was taking a class trip to the Scarborough Bluffs.

The Scarborough Bluffs are actually the remains of a 10,000 year old lake, Lake Iroquois. It disappeared a few thousand years later after the St. Lawrence River ice plug started melting -- the bluffs are the remains of the original coastline. They are also responsible for forming the Toronto Islands!

We spent the morning hiking up trails and exploring the park. Students used digital cameras to document everything along the way: wildlife, tracks, trees, flowers, and beautiful scenery.

Some class activities had been set up for the day too, including a math trail in the morning and writing a reflections essay about the afternoon journey.

After lunch we searched for a path up to the top of the cliffs. When we reached the top, we posed for a class photo next to the tree we had seen from the beach -- a reminder that we can reach our goals if we pay attention to our routes.

Check out this < VIDEO LINK > of the day to find out more!

 Posted by Karen