Akwé:konskàtne/Maamuu: Journeys in Leadership
April 3rd & 6th, 2017Akwé:konskàtne/Maamuu: Journeys in Leadership combines experiential learning and a strength-based approach to building academic skills while celebrating indigenous identity and culture. Students will be the coordinators and managers of this project. It includes:
1) Children’s Day: Dawson Journeys students will plan, organize and host a program for Indigenous Awareness Days Children’s Day on April 6. 100 students from local Montreal and Kahnawake schools will be invited to attend. The activities include an invited guest presentation and student led activities including a Lacrosse demonstration, storytelling and Cree and Mohawk language workshop.
2) Collaborative exchange with Kiuna First Nations College: Dawson Journeys students will collaborate with Kiuna students to plan and host an exchange to discuss current issues relevant to them: violence against women, education on reserves, addictions, Multigeneration trauma, Dakota Access Pipeline, etc. This will take place April 3 during Indigenous Awareness Days. Initial planning has begun with a first video conference between Learning Strategies students at Dawson and Kiuna to get to know each other and brainstorm. Workshopping and discussing ideas will take place through social media and a second video conference, with a face to face visit planned at Kiuna in Odanak on March 20. The April 3 exchange will begin with the shared preparation of traditional food for a communal lunch. The exchange on current issues will follow in the form of small workshops and a larger talking circle.
Project Update
Akwé:konskàtne/Maamuu: Journeys in Leadership involved two separate but overlapping projects: Collaborative exchange with Kiuna First Nations College and Children’s Day/Indigenous Awareness Days.
1) Collaborative exchange with Kiuna First Nations College
Twelve Journeys students and 4 Kiuna students first “met” during a video conference and put forward the plans for a collaborative exchange. Two Journeys students initiated a facebook group to discuss topics for the exchange. March 20 Journeys students went to Kiuna College to meet the students in person. Kiuna hosted the students with lunch and discussion in the traditional Shaputuan on site. Twelve Journeys students and fifteen Kiuna students from both English and French programs were involved. Students finalized the exchange topics they had been refining in their respective classes. All students participated in a “speeddating” icebreaker activity. An unexpected outcome from this process was that the primarily English speaking Journeys students were able to practice French with primarily French speaking Kiuna students. This has led to a collaborative language project with the Journeys French teacher and faculty from Kiuna – which will be piloted in Fall 2017.
April 3 Kiuna students were hosted by Journeys students during Indigenous Awareness Days at Dawson College. The Kiuna students presented creative works and stories to the Journeys students and they shared a traditional meal. The exchange took place that afternoon. Topics chosen by the students were:
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Schools on the reservation
Indigenous Education
Addictions
Mental Health issues
Legalization of Marijuana
Cultural Appropriation
A student facilitator was assigned for each discussion group, and a member of the group shared the main points from each discussion back to the group.
2) Children’s Day during Indigenous Awareness Days April 6.
Approx 60 children from two primary schools attended Children’s day: 24 from Outremont based Nouvelles Querbes, and 35 from Kateri school in Kahnawake. Journeys students planned and hosted the activities including:
– Lacrosse demonstration and game
– Inuit storytelling
– Cree, Mohawk and Inuktitut language workshop.
The children were divided into 3 groups, each with a student guide, who brought them to the different workshops.
Students offered a traditional snack to the visitors and Hoop dancer Barbara Diabo entertained the children.
