Advancing Indigenous Education and Adapting to COVID-19 at Ontario’s Indigenous Institutes

Just in time for spring, the IIC and its Indigenous Institute members have been hard at work hosting events, forming partnerships and advancing post-secondary education for Indigenous learners.

One of the biggest announcements was new funding allowing Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute to continue partnering with Lakehead University and strengthen support for Indigenous post-secondary learners.

As a welcoming for the sweet water harvest season, a ceremony was held with Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig and their student’s association. This outdoor gathering provided attendees with a safe venue for some much-needed prayers, songs, and socializing.

IIC’s member Institutes have been busy improving enrichment for our learners. Here’s what’s been happening:

Lakehead University Awarded Funding to Help Reduce Barriers to Post-Secondary Education

“This project will work with northern Indigenous institutes and colleges to explore how to identify, locate and begin to disrupt colonial structures and pedagogy in post-secondary education in terms of both transfer credit pathways and transitioning students between different types of institutions.

Lakehead University is looking forward to further collaboration with Anishinabek Employment and Training Services, Confederation College, the Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute, and Seven Generations Education Institute.”

Sweet Water Ceremony Kicks Off Spring Harvest with Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig

“Everyone who attended the Saturday ceremony expressed how happy they were to be able to gather together again, but with COVID restrictions, social distance had to be maintained. The circle grew and grew until it nearly took up half of the parking lot!”

Water Activism Talk with Autumn and Stephanie Peltier at Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig

Autumn is the Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinaabek Nation and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

She continues the work of her late Aunt Josephine Mandamin, who created the Water Walk Ceremony to bring awareness to Water access and sustainability.

Kenjgewin Teg Anishinaabemowin Immersion Specialist Teaches Therapy Through Storytelling at WHEAT

“I don’t necessarily instruct in storytelling because I search and bring out the storyteller in each of the students,” Rhonda Hopkins says. “However, I have shared storytelling and one of the things we have done is our mnemonic device, which was an assignment where I created a mnemonic device that would help recite a story, an event or an activity that a student had participated in. So, they’re telling me stories using this mnemonic device that they’ve created.”

Six Nations Polytechnic on Indigenous Perspectives in Post-Secondary Learning

“The learning has to relate back to your life and your world view of how everything is connected. We’re very much focused on making sure the knowledge of our people is recovered, and then revitalizing that in many ways. Some of that is in direct instruction with teachers.”

Promising Careers in Trades Begin at Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre

“My son likes to do manual labor and work hard. He’s always been happiest when he is moving his body and hates sitting in a classroom all day. The thought of going to another four years of school after graduating makes his stomach turn. Knowing that, and seeing how his father has struggled to find good employees that know the plumbing trade, or want to work hard to learn it, has made me realize we really need to be presenting the trades as a promising career path to our kids, because they have so much to offer.”