Ready to change the world?
Here are some steps to help you get started...
Before starting consider the following:
Basing the project on Indigenous Knowledge is imperative. Prior to European contact, the environment and land in Canada was clean, healthy and vibrant. The Original People of Turtle Island are completely weaved into the spiritual fabric of the land. Everything is alive and has a spirit. The great heartbeat of Mother Earth pulsates in everything. There is no denying the bond that they have with their sacred Mother. Their stories of the past are recorded at sacred sites and legends adorn the rocks and stars. The secrets of the land are coded in the language, songs and customs of the Original Peoples. The symbiotic relationship with their sacred Mother is engrained in their values as a people. The western world is straining to seek this knowledge; understanding these stories, legends and Indigenous Knowledge is key to finding solutions for our future.
STEP ONE: Pick a topic!
Be sure to have your students involved right from the start so that they are invested in the whole project.
It is amazing what students will come up with on their own!
STEP TWO: Decide who will be involved
Will this be a single class initiative or school wide?
Try to consider reaching as many people as possible with your project. Involving the whole school may seem daunting but if you can rally a few teachers to help out, it can become a life of its own that will have multiple impacts on everyone involved!
Having your community involved will turn your project into a magical experience! Put the call out to parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends....whoever can come and help! Having a community come together for a project like this is also apart of a bigger healing process. Helping to develop relationships is a beautiful way to get the world back on track. :-)
STEP THREE: Connect with a local First Nations, Inuit or Metis community
Having Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers, artists and/or resource people as part of your project is the cornerstone to the project. Creating sustainable change requires building relationships and honouring Indigenous Knowledge. It is important that you seek guidance from Elders/Knowledge Keepers in relation to ceremony and protocols. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Remember to embrace this journey as a learning experience for everyone including the teachers!
STEP FOUR: Document the process
Assemble a team of teachers and/or students to take pictures and video. Documenting your project is important so that you can celebrate and share the impact it had on your school community. Capturing the students thoughts before, during and after the project is a great way to showcase their learning. Enabling students to have a voice is a powerful way to engage them in the process and it will inspire them to become active in creating change.
Embrace technology! This is another great vehicle to engage students with, as many of them are at the forefront of it. Create your own website, or use a blogging tool. You could have students journal about the ongoing experience using video blogging as opposed to writing in books...or do both!
Be sure to have permission forms/media consent forms filled out ahead of time!
STEP FIVE: Contact the media
Celebrate your project and mobilize the learning beyond your school by contacting your local media outlets to cover the story, including those that represent First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities (e.g. we contacted APTN and Anishinabek News in addition to our local Brampton Guardian newspaper).
Our project was featured in the Anishinabek News here: http://anishinabeknews.ca/2015/03/17/mural-helps-promote-value-of-indigenous-knowledge
Basing the project on Indigenous Knowledge is imperative. Prior to European contact, the environment and land in Canada was clean, healthy and vibrant. The Original People of Turtle Island are completely weaved into the spiritual fabric of the land. Everything is alive and has a spirit. The great heartbeat of Mother Earth pulsates in everything. There is no denying the bond that they have with their sacred Mother. Their stories of the past are recorded at sacred sites and legends adorn the rocks and stars. The secrets of the land are coded in the language, songs and customs of the Original Peoples. The symbiotic relationship with their sacred Mother is engrained in their values as a people. The western world is straining to seek this knowledge; understanding these stories, legends and Indigenous Knowledge is key to finding solutions for our future.
STEP ONE: Pick a topic!
Be sure to have your students involved right from the start so that they are invested in the whole project.
It is amazing what students will come up with on their own!
STEP TWO: Decide who will be involved
Will this be a single class initiative or school wide?
Try to consider reaching as many people as possible with your project. Involving the whole school may seem daunting but if you can rally a few teachers to help out, it can become a life of its own that will have multiple impacts on everyone involved!
Having your community involved will turn your project into a magical experience! Put the call out to parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends....whoever can come and help! Having a community come together for a project like this is also apart of a bigger healing process. Helping to develop relationships is a beautiful way to get the world back on track. :-)
STEP THREE: Connect with a local First Nations, Inuit or Metis community
Having Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers, artists and/or resource people as part of your project is the cornerstone to the project. Creating sustainable change requires building relationships and honouring Indigenous Knowledge. It is important that you seek guidance from Elders/Knowledge Keepers in relation to ceremony and protocols. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Remember to embrace this journey as a learning experience for everyone including the teachers!
STEP FOUR: Document the process
Assemble a team of teachers and/or students to take pictures and video. Documenting your project is important so that you can celebrate and share the impact it had on your school community. Capturing the students thoughts before, during and after the project is a great way to showcase their learning. Enabling students to have a voice is a powerful way to engage them in the process and it will inspire them to become active in creating change.
Embrace technology! This is another great vehicle to engage students with, as many of them are at the forefront of it. Create your own website, or use a blogging tool. You could have students journal about the ongoing experience using video blogging as opposed to writing in books...or do both!
Be sure to have permission forms/media consent forms filled out ahead of time!
STEP FIVE: Contact the media
Celebrate your project and mobilize the learning beyond your school by contacting your local media outlets to cover the story, including those that represent First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities (e.g. we contacted APTN and Anishinabek News in addition to our local Brampton Guardian newspaper).
Our project was featured in the Anishinabek News here: http://anishinabeknews.ca/2015/03/17/mural-helps-promote-value-of-indigenous-knowledge