OTTAWA – Today, the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) in collaboration with Canadian Geographic launched a feature story centering three Indigenous educators who speak to why Indigenous teacher education programs are crucial to transforming Canada’s education landscape. The article is available in 10 Indigenous languages, as well as English and French.
The feature, which is published in the September/October print edition of Canadian Geographic and on a one-of-a-kind digital platform highlighting and celebrating the history and impact of Indigenous Teacher Education across the country, is available in:
- Northern Michif
- Inuktitut
- Nakota (oral)
- Mi’kmaw
- Cree
- K’asho Got’ine-Dene
- Gwich’in (oral)
- Anishinaabemowin
- Mohawk
- Nuu-chah-nulth
- French
- English
The languages used for this project represent geographically diverse First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. Some are high usage languages and were selected for accessibility, while others were chosen to instill hope for their survival and inspire language revitalization.
The Indigenous Education Program interactive platform uses StoryMaps to highlight First Nations, Inuit and Métis teacher education programs from coast to coast to coast. The map, timeline and accompanying articles tell the story of each teacher education program through text and video. It also highlights the longstanding and positive impact these programs are having on Indigenous students and teachers stretching back as far as 1968.
Celebrating the legacy of Indigenous Teacher Education programs, this work aims to bring awareness to the impact of the programs operating today and the importance of having Indigenous teachers in the classroom. By highlighting these programs, the hope is that it will inspire more First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth to choose teaching as a career.
Quotes:
RHF’s Director of the Indigenous Teacher Education Initiative, Rachel Mishenene:
“Having an Indigenous teacher in the classroom benefits all students. The sharing of our stories and experiences within the education system, is a true testament of resilience of Indigenous people and the importance of creating more culturally inclusive learning environments. Representation is crucial for students to feel empowered in their identities and what dream they want to pursue in education.”
Canadian Geographic’s Vice President of Learning and Reconciliation, Charlene Bearhead:
“Collaborating with the Rideau Hall Foundation to shine a light on these programs through the creation of the Celebrating Indigenous Teacher Education website has been a gift and an honour for Canadian Geographic. We are eternally grateful to the Indigenous language speakers who have shared the gift of the language of their Nations with all of us.”
About the Rideau Hall Foundation
The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is an independent and non-partisan charitable organization established to better serve Canadians through a range of initiatives linked to learning, leadership, giving and innovation. The RHF will contribute to enriching Canada’s education landscape by 10,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachers, and better support Indigenous youth by investing in Indigenous-led teacher education projects.
Learn more about the RHF at www.rhf-frh.ca.
For media inquiries or interviews with Rachel Mishenene:
Allison MacLachlan
Rideau Hall Foundation
(613) 316-3473
allison.maclachlan@rhf-frh.ca
About Canadian Geographic:
Canadian Geographic is Canada’s #1 paid magazine with a reach of 4.2M people online and in print each month. Canadian Geographic has published continuously since 1929. It is a trusted source of information on both the human and physical geography that defines Canada. Canadian Geographic’s parent, the charitable Royal Canadian Geographical Society is one of Canada’s oldest educational charities with a network of 28,000 teachers that use its classroom resources to reach 750,000 students across the country.
Rosemary Thompson, VP Communications and Marketing
Royal Canadian Geographical Society
(613) 240-6739
rthompson@rcgs.org
