Pimooteewin on the CBC News!

Centennial College and the Pimooteewin Closing Ceremony was mentioned at the end of CBC's evening news last night!

Click here for CBC's < VIDEO LINK > and fast forward to marker 9:30 to see our 40 second spotlight.

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

Portfolios and the White Ribbon Campaign

This morning before lunch we took a short field trip out to the Dollarama just down the street. We helped choose a ton of supplies for making our portfolios. Keep posted for updates!

Sneak peak: metallic paper, feathers, colourful beads, wacky letters, words, pipe cleaners, earth tone card stock, ribbons...

Since December 6th is coming up. This is the National Day for Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Centennial College invited a guest speaker to kick off the White Ribbon Campaign in the Auditorium over lunch...

Carlos Andres Gomez challenged the audience's definition of masculinity through performances of his poems and led animated discussions, truly getting "Behind the Masc". Gomez is an actor, a playwright, a spoken word poet, and a teacher with a ton of experience influencing young minds and perceptions around North America. He left us wanting to hear more.

Back in math class for the afternoon, we discussed the talk and then listened to a podcast Kevin helped develop for a previous White Ribbon campaign called "Tie Your Shoe With A White Ribbon". The project delves into issues such as gender, violence, and healthy relationships. < PODCAST LINK >

"Our future has no violence against women." Wear a white ribbon if you agree.