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Cultural infusion at Aurora College education camp Tuesday September 15 2015 13 EDUCATION ON THE LAND www.rmwb.cachampions CITIZEN RECOGNITION PROGRAM 2015 Do you know an outstanding resident who deserves recognition by Mayor and Regional Council Wood Buffalo residents are invited to nominate fellow individuals or groups for their contributions to improve the community. Nominations are open until September 30 2015. Forms are available online and at your local municipal contact office. Visit www.rmwb.cachampions By DALI CARMICHAEL Whilesomepost-secondarystudentsstarted off the academic year with party-lled frosh weeks pupils in the Bachelor of Education Program at Aurora College instead came to- gether for several days of building camara- derie and learning on the land. Indigenous teachers and those trained through a European-based system hoped to inspire the future educators to infuse elements of traditional learning into their classrooms in every subject from history to math. We continue to focus on relationships and looking at how to ensure our commu- nity teachers are present and a part of what we do Auroras education department chair Dave Porter said. Weve been told through our elders through our commu- nities through our own experiences that the more focus we can put on relationships within the program and the community thats the way to go. Those words were put into action at last weeks culture camp hosted at Kettle Point in Wood Buffalo National Park Sept. 8-11. In addition to carrying out the every- day tasks of running a camp as a team the group participated in a series of traditional activities and discussion sessions with el- ders from the community. The immersion factor was critical for the teachers accord- ing to former deputy assistant minister for the department of Education Culture and Employment Pauline Gordon who has more than 30 years of experience in the field. It doesnt mean that a teacher has to go into a school and isolate themselves it means they have to go out and make meaningful con- nections to ensure that they have the proper resources Gordon said. Theres never ever one teacher that just can do everything you need the resources. You need somebody in medicine somebody who performs subsistence harvesting from the area somebody that knows the legends. Known for being an outspoken force Gor- don seized the opportunity to inform the new generation of teachers in a manner that was straightforward and holistic. During one discussion session she divided the students into small groups ensuring an elder sat with each. The conversations were tense as topics ranged from the history of In- digenous education before contact with Eu- ropean settlers to the infamy of residential schools and their intergenerational impacts on families. Positive developments were identied as well with Gordon drawing much attention to the Dene Kede and Inuuquatigiit curricu- lums created to cement Dene language pro- gramming into NWT classrooms. Ive only been here for a few years and Ive already learned a lot more than I had known prior to this week said rst-year student Margaret Tarwell originally from Petawawa Ont. Reading about Indigenous history in a book is totally different from hearing it from somebody who was actually there and actu- ally experienced it. For the rst time in the annual camps his- tory students enrolled in all four years of the program were invited to attend. I havent gone to camp in a long time and I like learning about a traditional way of life andactivitiessaidTimGarganLaCassean- other rst-year student from Fort Simpson. Being here maybe its just ingrained into my genetics or maybe its because Im Dene but its very peaceful and tranquil. The stuff that weretalkingaboutwetalkedalotaboutinour social studies class its things that I already know.Itsagoodreminderanditseyeopening. As the students moved on to snacking on country foods and taking trips into the surrounding forest to identify medicinal fo- liage each activity was linked back to the importance of including culture in every- day lessons. Theres some healing that goes on con- tinuously between a government system and peoples territory the rst peoples Porter said. We need to ensure that those steps are taken for the survival of the territory. Unless we do that our next generation is not going to be in as good a place as they could be. PhotoscourtesyofAuroraCollege Aurora Colleges Bachelor of Education students make Mtis sashes while camping at Kettle Point in Wood Buffalo National Park. PaulineGordon former deputy assistantminister for the department of EducationCulture and EmploymentspeakstotheimportanceofinfusingIndigenouscultureintonorthernclassrooms. Campers take a brief reprieve from their lessons while hitting the water in a canoe.