Indigenous Education
Guided by the Multi-Year Plan for the Near North District School Board (Ï㽶ֱ²¥) and in collaboration with the First Nation Advisory Council, the Indigenous Education Advisory Circle and the Youth Advisory Circle for the Ï㽶ֱ²¥, our schools, with the support of our Indigenous Education team support the student achievement and well-being of First Nation, Metis and Inuit students. The Indigenous Education Action Plan is multi-faceted in nature reflecting support for our students, and the professional learning of our staff, through a model highly connected to community engagement. We continue in our efforts to develop a greater understanding of the histories, cultures and ongoing contributions of Indigenous Peoples in our nation to nation relationship.
The Near North District School Board is committed to ensuring that the board, its schools and staff are actively engaged in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action:
62. | (i) | Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students |
63. | (i) | Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools. |
(ii) | Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history. | |
(iii) | Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. iv. Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above. |
In order to support our goals, the Near North District School Board employs an Indigenous Education Lead, a Youth and Family Outreach Worker, a Child Development Counsellor with a focus on supporting the wellness and is a Graduation Coach model in four schools to support the academic pathway of First Nation, Metis and Inuit students. The board also employs Indigenous Language teachers to support language and cultural programming at 10 of our schools. We continue to seek additional opportunities to grow these program offerings. We now offer a variety of Indigenous Studies classes at the secondary level.