Media.Knet.Ca

The students and staff at Eel Ground School from New Brunswick will be sharing their award winning play and song during a national video conference that is scheduled to take place on May 30 starting at 12 noon CDT. Check out their web site at http://firstnationhelp.com/fasd/ for registration information.

Two sessions are being planned, one for students and an evening session for community members.

Listen to the children from Eel Ground First Nation describe their experience of researching, posting and performing their play about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) during a CBC Maritime Noon radio interview

7:30 minute CBC radio interview of the Grade 7 and 8 children involved in the production and performance of the play about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) entitled "The People vs Mary Moses" PLUS the playing of the song "An Ounce of Love" ... posted at ...

http://knet.ca/documents/CBC-interview-Eel-Ground-Play-and-Song.wav 

Their song - An Ounce of Love will be a special highlight of the presentation can be heard at http://knet.ca/Song-An-Ounce-Of-Love.mp3 (7Mb). The words to this important message can be seen below ...

AN OUNCE OF LOVE

Lyrics by Peter MacDonald and The FAS Project students at Eel Ground School
Music and Additional Lyrics by Peggy Ward
copyright 2006

Hey Mom before you have that ice cold drink
I need you to stop ~ stop and think
Think about what you want me to be
And what the world in nine months will see

I long to grow up and be beautiful as you
This poison will hurt us you know it’s true
I want you to love me ~ not have to cry
The drink is calling but so am I

CHORUS
An ounce of LOVE is all that it takes
For us to share a life that never shatters and breaks
For nine months the only SPIRIT I’ll see
Is the love that flows from you to me
Please let it be ~ oh ~ let it be please

If today you drink ~ when tomorrow comes
You might feel better but the damage is done
And it can’t be undone ~ I can’t sleep it off
I can’t rub it off ~ I can’t wear it off

Look into your future see what will come
Your decision now will be set in stone
And I’ll carry that stone with me every day
Please Momma don’t throw my life away

CHORUS

I know you want to see ‘kindergarten me’
Rhyming all of my ABC’s
Growing through all of the years to be
Solid ~ strong ~ steady as an oak tree

If only you could hear what’s in my mind
I know you want to love me and be kind
And even if nobody’s there for you
Be there for yourself ~ be there for me t

CHORUS

++++++++++++++

Dreams Do Come True

A message to the students of Eel Ground about their work from Della Maguire, http://www.firstnationhealing.ca/

I would never have thought that when I started working in the field of Fetal Alcohol in 1993, what I considered at that time a gloom and doom journey, that it would be a journey that continues to pleasantly reward me. I had never heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1993 when I had just started out in the Addiction Field. I cannot describe the devastating feeling I got while attending a workshop on FAS/FAE and learned about the damage that alcohol can do to the unborn baby. Personally I just wanted to learn more, but I think the creator had another plan. Then I met Francis Perry. After Francis got diagnosed and started to learn about himself, we became a team for he was willing to share his life story about what it means to live with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in hopes that it could help save one baby from a most difficult life.

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, to you, the drama students of Eel Ground First Nation, staff, and volunteers for your passion and dedication that I have seen in the production of The People vs Mary Moses. As a team you have captured the essences of a real life story that will fill the hearts of many, not only in our First Nation Communities, but in the general public as well. The play is powerful yet you have presented it with sensitivity and you also have incorporated the great gift of humor that Francis is famous for. You have been able to reproduce a story that will be an enormous educational tool that will save many from a life of much difficulty and will be appreciated by many for years.

You are young ambassadors of Eel Ground First Nation and I am so very proud to have met you all. You are all role models to youth of every First Nation and to all other nations as well. I know this is only the beginning for you. Keep up the great work; you seem to do it with such ease. The journey that I thought of as gloom and doom turned into something beautiful and precious. The creator had plans for me that I did not realize would be so satisfying and rewarding and you certainly are a huge part of that. So congratulations on all the awards that you received for the production of The People vs Mary Moses you certainly deserve it and may there be more and more to come. So dreams do come true, for you have made it possible for my dream of educating all First Nation communities about the harm alcohol can do prenatally to the unborn baby. Thank you so much and may the creator always guide you all, listen to your heart and much greatness will come your way. 

Wela’lioq 

Della Maguire Executive Director,
Mi’kmaq First Nation Healing Society.

The new Northern Ontario School of Medicine (http://www.normed.ca) early beginnings talked about having a virtual campus in each community across this vast region. Now the faculty and students all work out of Thunder Bay and Sudbury except for the traditional community learning experiences for those who will venture outside of these comfortable urban environments. Maybe the proposed Ontario Northeast University (ONE-U) will get it right and actually invest in staff and facilities in the remote communities.

From http://www.timminspress.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentID=27753&catname=Local+News

New university planned for the North
By Trevor Terfloth - Timmins Daily Press - Friday, April 21, 2006

Higher learning for the North received a boost Thursday, with several organizations joining forces to help make the dream a reality.

The Ontario Northeast University (ONE U) project officially kicked off, with a mission to make innovative education available to the region’s population of more than 110,000 people.

Dave McGirr, president of the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), said this area of the province has much to gain.

“This regional project will help enhance post-secondary educational opportunities, increase training, and sustain the population throughout Northeastern Ontario,” he said. “We look forward to working together with our regional partners in order to develop this initiative. ”

The TEDC is sponsoring the steering committee that will determine the feasibility of such an endeavour. Planned Approach Inc. will conduct the study.

When completed, ONE U would serve the District of Cochrane, the James Bay Coast, and Northern portions of the Temiskaming and Sudbury districts.

The concept is a decentralized university initially, using telecommunications links to meet the needs of each community. It would utilize existing resources and establish partnerships with Northern university and college programs.

Esko Vainio, committee chairman, said it isn’t a brand-new idea, however, he admits it promises to be a challenge worth taking.

“It’s been in the works for several years, but it’s obviously come to fruition now,” he said. “We’re ready to go with a needs analysis in order to look at ways we can deliver university education to this part of Ontario.”

A recent Porcupine Health Unit profile showed only 10.2 per cent of the population in this jurisdiction aged 20 and over had a full or partial degree, compared to 26.3 per cent for the rest of the province.

The ONE U study will also evaluate the requirements of stay-at-home parents, workers and entrepreneurs who might be unable to obtain a university education otherwise.

Northern francophones already have a similar model through the Universitie de Hearst, which has campuses in Timmins and Kapuskasing.

Vainio said today’s technology allows a school to do things that couldn’t even be imagined in the past.

The committee has short-, medium- and long-term plans for ONE U, he said.

“We need to do it in various steps,” he said. “There’s a lot of possibilities.”

A public-needs assessment survey will soon be released and the committee urges all residents to respond with their needs and desires for university education.

The G8 Supplementary Courses Program is a free online resource for First Nation elementary schools that have high speed Internet access.

The program allows grade 8 classrooms across Ontario to participate in an online learning program that aims to:

• Improve students’ computer, science, math and literacy skills
• Help prepare students for high school
• Promote awareness and pride in First Nations identity, events and issues
• Connect students and teachers from First Nations schools across Ontario

The G8 Program is designed to enrich – not replace – classroom learning. To participate in the program, students are required to access the Internet for three hours per week (scheduled according to your local preference). During this time, students work to complete short assignments written especially First Nation students. The online environment allows students to exchange messages with participants from other First Nation schools and view photo albums of people, places and events in First Nation communities. Over the last two years, hundreds of students and teachers from schools all over Ontario have taken part in this program. 

There are still a few spaces open for the upcoming Math course, which is scheduled to begin on April 24, 2006. We are excited to announce that this course will also introduce a number of upgrades and new features, such as the ability for teachers to create their own custom courses. Custom online courses are a great way to create activities and lessons in a format that can be used for years to come (please note that teachers will be responsible for marking all assignments within their custom courses).

Grade 8 teachers are invited to register their class by filling out a registration form on the G8 Program website: www.g8.firstnationschools.ca  

Click here to download a program poster.

from http://66.244.236.251/article_5653.php

Transition school in the works
By CHEN CHEKKI - Apr 17, 2006

It’s something that happens all too often to the youth of Mishkeegogamang First Nation.

The Northwestern Ontario community, 30 kilometres from Pickle Lake, is forced to send its high school-aged students to schools in Thunder Bay, Ear Falls and Pelican Falls because it has no secondary school of its own.

Most of the other 49 reserves belonging to Nishnawbe Aski Nation are forced to do the same, as their schools usually go only as high as Grade 8 or Grade 10.

As a result of being put in a totally different environment, many of the students are exposed to things they are not normally exposed to and lack their ordinary support structure, said Connie Gray-McKay, chief of Mishkeegogamang.

Also, some of the teenagers are parents already, she said in an interview.

Many of the students are four or five years behind where they should be academically. Combined with the shock of their new surroundings, it makes for a recipe for dropping out of school.

“Many of them drop out and come back,” Gray-McKay said.

She said her community of about 1,500 is planning to have its own school, designed to teach basic trades skills along with the fundamentals of reading, math and life skills.

It is known as the Mish Tech Initiative and it has been in the works for the last two years. It could lead to the construction of a school by the end of summer.

The school would not be a substitute for urban high schools, but a transition point to prepare youth to go away to high school or enter the workforce. It may eventually offer accredited courses.

Courses in small motor repair, computers, woodworking and mining technology could be taught at the school.

Gray-McKay said when new homes are built in her area, plumbers, carpenters and electricians must be brought in from elsewhere to do the job.

“Why, when we can train our own young people?”

David Smith, an Ottawa-based entrepreneur who opened a trades school in his city nine years ago, said the new school will help satisfy the Northern demand for workers in mining and other industries.

As a member of the Mish Tech Initiative, he said the youth of Mishkeegogamang lack incentives, encouragement and motivation without their own high school.

“These young adults have to have some type of training,” Smith said.

Goyce Kakegamic, deputy grand chief of NAN, said to the best of his knowledge no other trade school exists in NAN territory.

Aboriginal teenagers tend to be “academically overwhelmed” when they arrive in urban centres such as Thunder Bay to complete high school, he said. Kakegamic said the new school in Mishkeegogamang would be “good for our people.”

However, Kakegamic said NAN has no money for the school, which could cost $2 million. Most of that cost would be for construction, with the rest used to run the school for its first year.

Funding will be sought from Ottawa, the province and the private sector, but the school would be run by the reserve, becoming part of Mishkeegogamang’s existing educational system.

© Copyright by Chronicle journal.com

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/aboriginallearning/whatsnew/default.asp

Canadian Council on Learning establishes Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre

Ottawa, April 5, 2006 – The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) has selected two organizations, the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium and the Aboriginal Education Research Centre, to co-lead its Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre.

“The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will profile and advance the most current knowledge and exemplary practices in First Nations, Métis and Inuit learning,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, CCL’s President and CEO. “Today, as governments acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal learning systems developed in partnership with Aboriginal Peoples, this knowledge centre will help to set priorities for research, propose ways to measure progress and create networks to share practices that can strengthen learning outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.”

The new knowledge centre is based in the region encompassing the Prairie provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is composed of a consortium with more than 50 members from across the country. The centre will have access to up to $1.5 million per year to develop a collaborative and comprehensive network of shared knowledge and expertise to make a difference in Aboriginal learning. A full list of the consortium members is available on CCL’s website, www.ccl-cca.ca.

“The knowledge centre will work collaboratively to recognize and build on the unique personal, social, cultural and historical contexts for Aboriginal learning, and share knowledge about promising practices across Canada,” said Dr. Vivian Ayoungman, Executive Director of the Calgary-based First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium.

Dr. Marie Battiste, Academic Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, stated: “The knowledge centre will directly involve Aboriginal Peoples in developing solutions to the many learning challenges they face. It will play a key role in analyzing existing research and promoting further research to provide the reliable information required to improve learning opportunities and outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples.”

The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre is one of five knowledge centres created by CCL. Each centre will contribute to better outcomes in various stages of learning from early childhood to the workplace and beyond. The other centres are: Adult Learning (Atlantic Canada), Early Childhood Learning (Quebec), Health and Learning (British Columbia and Yukon), and Work and Learning (Ontario).

The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decision making about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond.

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/aboriginallearning/home/default.asp
 
Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre
The Canadian Council on Learning has established the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, which is made up of a consortium of more than 80 members from across the country working together to create a path for the improvement of Aboriginal learning in Canada.

Much of the research about Aboriginal learners has focussed on ‘incapacity,’ not on their potential for influencing positive change in their communities and in Canadian society generally.

The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre plays a critical role in identifying research priorities for CCL, as well as creating networks to best make use of the knowledge generated by this research.

MEMBERS OF THE ABORIGINAL LEARNING KNOWLEDGE CENTRE CONSORTIUM
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS

• First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium
• Aboriginal Education Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

• Aboriginal Education Unit, Strategic Partnerships and Aboriginal Education Saskatchewan Learning
• Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada
• Aboriginal Institutes’ Consortium
• Aboriginal Liaison, University Services Branch, Saskatchewan Learning
• Acadia University
• Asinîy Métis Studies Foundation Inc.
• Athabasca University
• Aurora College
• Blue Quills First Nations College
• Board of Governors of Red River College
• Bow Valley College
• Brock University
• Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network
• Central Urban Métis Federation Inc.
• College of Education, University of Saskatchewan
• Dalhousie University
• Department of Canadian Heritage
• Excalibur Learning Resource Centre Canada Corp.
• Faculty of Education, Brock University
• Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba
• Faculty of Education, University of Regina
• First Nations Education Steering Committee
• First Nations Technical Institute
• Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning
• Gabriel Dumont Institute
• Galileo Educational Network
• Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP)
• Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre
• Invert Media Inc.
• Keewatin Career Development Corporation
• Kainai Board of Education
• Kwantlen University College
• Lakeland College
• Laurentian University
• Mi'kmaq College Institute
• Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey
• National Association of Indigenous Institutes of Higher Learning
• Native Access Program to Nursing/Medicine
• Native Law Centre of Canada
• Neuropsychiatry Research, University of Saskatchewan
• North West Regional College
• Northern Lights School Division #113
• Northlands College
• Office of the Treaty Commissioner
• Old Sun Community College
• Oldman River Cultural Centre
• Prince Albert Grand Council
• Queen's University
• Red Crow Community College
• Saskatchewan Communications Network Corporation
• Saskatchewan Department of First Nations and Métis
• Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology
• Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board
• Saskatchewan Learning
• Saskatchewan Teachers Federation
• Saskatoon Catholic Schools
• SciQ: Science Revealed
• Siksika Board of Education
• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
• The Alberta Library
• The Genesis Group
• The Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association
• Transpolar Technology Corporation
• Treaty 7 First Nations Education Association
• University College of the North
• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• University of Lethbridge
• University of Manitoba
• University of New Brunswick
• University of Regina
• University of Toronto
• University of Victoria
• University of Winnipeg
• Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a Society
• Yellowhead Tribal College
• Yellowquill College
• York University
• Yukon College

++++++++++++++

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Wednesday, April 5th/2006

U of S Researchers to Co-Lead National Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre

The University of Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal Education Research Centre (AERC) has been selected by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) to co-lead a new national network for gathering and sharing information on effective approaches to Aboriginal learning.

AERC will work with the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC) in Calgary to lead the new Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, a consortium of more than 50 members drawn from the region encompassing the Prairie provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The new national centre will have access to up to $1.5 million per year to develop a network of shared knowledge and expertise that is expected to contribute to greater academic success for Aboriginal students. The CCL notes that nearly twice as many working-age Aboriginals do not have their high-school diploma (39 per cent), compared to non-Aboriginal Canadians (22 per cent).

“Today, as governments acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal learning systems developed in partnership with Aboriginal Peoples, this knowledge centre will help to set priorities for research, propose ways to measure progress, and create networks to share practices that can strengthen learning outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples of Canada,” said Paul Cappon, CCL President and CEO.

“The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will profile and advance the most current knowledge and exemplary practices in First Nations, Métis and Inuit learning.”

AERC Academic Director Marie Battiste says the knowledge centre will directly involve Aboriginal Peoples in developing solutions to the many learning challenges they face.

“It will play a key role in analyzing existing research and promoting further research to provide the reliable information required to improve learning opportunities and outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples,” she said. 

AERC, housed in the U of S College of Education, is a collaborative teaching and research centre operated in partnership with diverse First Nations, Métis and Northern groups to identify and address their specific needs and priorities.

 “The knowledge centre will work collaboratively to recognize and build on the unique personal, social, cultural and historical contexts for Aboriginal learning, and share knowledge about promising practices across Canada,” said Vivian Ayoungman, Executive Director of the Calgary-based FNAHEC which is made up of 10 First Nation colleges and adult training centres in Western Canada.

The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada.  Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decision making throughout all stages of learning, from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond.

The new centre is one of five knowledge centres created by the Council. Each will contribute to better outcomes in various stages of learning, from early childhood to the workplace and beyond.  The other centres are:  Adult Learning (Atlantic Canada), Early Childhood Learning (Quebec), Health and Learning (British Columbia and Yukon), and Work and Learning (Ontario).

A full list of the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre consortium members is available on CCL’s website: www.ccl-cca.ca.

- 30 -

For more information, contact:

Kathryn Warden
Director, Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
www.usask.ca/research

Elizabeth Everson
Director, Communications
Canadian Council on Learning  
(613) 786-3230 ext. 207
Cell: (613) 222-2879 
beverson@ccl-cca.ca 
www.ccl-cca.ca

from

RESEARCH NEWS
Office of the Vice-President Research
University of Saskatchewan
Box 5000 RPO University
110 Gymnasium Place
 SASKATOON SK S7N 4J8
 Tel: (306) 966-2506   Fax: (306) 966-2411
 http://www.usask.ca/research

from http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=b7145514-4aed-4f45-9f81-f85bed65ed60

Aboriginal school boards touted - Minister holds early talks with Alberta chiefs
              
Sarah McGinnis - Calgary Herald        

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice wants to create aboriginal school boards in Alberta to improve the First Nations education system.

Consultation with aboriginal educators, adequate funding levels and respect for programs that are working would be needed to make any school authority a success, warns Siksika Nation chief Strater Crowfoot.

"We're talking in the province of Alberta about (creating) an education authority for Treaty 8, one for Treaty 7 and one for Treaty 6," Prentice said in an interview with the Herald on Saturday.

Education authorities, divided geographically throughout the province and identified by the different treaty numbers, could be similar to the school boards that govern the public school system, Prentice explained.

They could include elected representatives who are made accountable for their decisions, he added.

School authorities are needed because First Nations students don't have the same legislative protection other students do, Prentice said.

"First Nations kids live in this legislative vacuum where there's no legislation that prescribes curriculum and class sizes, children's rights or the rights of children with disabilities," he said.

"These are all things you find in and around the Alberta school legislation. Aboriginal kids don't have that."

While there have been preliminary talks with Alberta chiefs about school authorities, the concept is far from being a workable policy yet, Prentice said.

And Crowfoot agrees there's still a lot of work to be done.

"I think Jim is taking the right step by looking at what can be done to make the system better," said Crowfoot.

"Perhaps having a pan-Alberta approach with . . . better co-ordination with the province may be a good step."

But there has to be much more discussion with affected groups before school authorities can be created, said Crowfoot.

And education discussions shouldn't be limited to chief and councils, he said.

"You have to get the politics out of education. Let the educators decide better how to run the systems," he said.

Adequate funding levels and support systems are also needed to ensure First Nations kids get the best schooling possible, said Crowfoot.

"Just because you put a school board in doesn't mean you're going to get anywhere," said Fraser Institute spokesman Peter Cowley, who added there are already two aboriginal school boards in Quebec.

Cowley organizes an annual report card on education, ranking schools across Canada.

Instead of expanding the educational bureaucracy, the government should release standardized test results so the public can see how serious the problems are in First Nations schools, he said.

By analysing test results, administrators can look for best practices at other aboriginal schools which can be applied to them, he said.

smcginnis@theherald.canwest.com

A new online Aboriginal Youth & Media initiative is being coordinated by the Women in Media Foundation and K-Net. Everyone is invited to visit http://meeting.knet.ca and click on “Media and Youth” to become part of our online learning and discussion environment.

Each student who registers will have a chance to win an iPod Nano! More importantly, youth will have access to the discussion environments as well as to exercises that will help them learn how to create their own media.

As part of the launch of this new initiative, we are asking everyone to forward this information about the new site to young Aboriginal students who might be interested in learning more about making their own media.   

It’s very easy to take part in this e-learning environment. Young people are encouraged and supported within this monitored environment to share their media stories and experiences with others. 

Again, just by creating an account will enter youth in our draw for an iPod Nano. We hope everyone will explore the information available, download some of the media tools or chat about media issues such as music and advertising.

Click here to see the poster promoting this new online resource.

This initiative is being funded in partnership with Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program and Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Regional Management Organization project.

From the Acknowledgement and Introductions sections of the Manifesto (available at the Chiefs of Ontario web site at http://www.chiefs-of-ontario.org/education/manifesto.html)

The Manifesto was envisioned by the Ontario First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly as a means of providing a foundation for change in First Nations education. The Chiefs expressed a vision of future negotiations based on a broad agenda, one that draws from a readily accessible and complete menu, including the history of relations, sovereignty and jurisdiction, Treaties, Aboriginal rights, unique philosophies and world views, Crown obligations, western and First Nations techniques and standards of education and the access and control of a fair share of First Nations’ own resources.

The Manifesto project is unique in ensuring that the primary writers and researchers are all First Nations peoples, and comprise the finest leaders, visionaries and practitioners in First Nations education.

The Manifesto was developed according to a well developed and logical methodology. Parent and educator focus groups were held in four regions of Ontario. Twenty-four writers produced distinct papers according to research framework designed to give Chiefs and their negotiators easy access to an orderly and complete picture of every aspect of education. The chapters of the Manifesto range from philosophy and history, to early childhood education and funding formulas, and every other aspect of education. There is an attempt to be as positive and forward-looking as possible. However, it also condemns the Federal Government for its failure on a grand scale to provide the minimum education to First Nations that others in Ontario have enjoyed for generations. It calls upon the Crown, once again, to live up to its obligations.

The Manifesto is a major milestone for First Nations in Ontario. It expresses the fundamental importance - and indeed the urgency – of First Nations to truly control and to have exclusive jurisdiction over the education of each child. Every aspect of First Nations well being and the full enjoyment of basic human rights is linked to a culturally appropriate and complete education. The uniqueness and beauty of the values of First Nations ancestors must not be lost. The future existence of First Nations as distinct peoples on Turtle Island depends upon it.

The New Agenda: A Manifesto For First Nations Education in Ontario

1. Manifesto Cover Page PDF

2. Manifesto Table of Contents  WORD DOC

3. Manifesto Acknowledgements  WORD DOC

4. Manifesto Introduction WORD DOC

5. A History of First Nations Education WORD DOC

6. First Nations Education Philosophy WORD DOC

7. Key Elements of Quality First Nations Education Systems WORD DOC

8. First Nations Affective-Effective Education WORD DOC

9. Manifesto Overview – A Principled Examination of FN Education Renewal WORD DOC

10. Education Governance WORD DOC

11. Review of INAC Funding for FN Schools WORD DOC

12. First Nations Languages Education WORD DOC

13. First Nations Post Secondary Education WORD DOC

14. First Nations Curriculum WORD DOC

15. First Nations Teacher Education WORD DOC

16. First Nations Second Level Services WORD DOC

17. First Nations Alternative Education WORD DOC

18. First Nations Literacy in Ontario WORD DOC

19. First Nations Early Childhood Education WORD DOC

20. Engaging First Nations Parents in Education WORD DOC

21. Parental Engagement Appendix 1 WORD DOC

22. Manifesto Annotated Bibliography WORD DOC

The First Nations SchoolNet program's Quebec Regional Management Organization recently posted its third publication of First Nation schools ICT success stories. Coordinated by the First Nations Education Council out of Wendake First Nation, the Quebec RMO is working with the K-Net team to develop and support innovative ICT applications in First Nation schools across the province. The series of success stories highlight the investments being made by the schools, the communities, regional organizations and Industry Canada in supporting these developments.

Schoolnet Success Stories Volume #3 The FNEC is pleased to present the third publication in a series titled “SchoolNet Success Stories”. The FNEC continues to receive great reviews from First Nations organizations, federal ministries, and other agencies recognizing the efforts of both the communities and the FNEC in producing these publications.   Click here to download the file     Schoolnet Success Stories Volume #2 The FNEC is pleased to present our second publication in a series titled “SchoolNet Success Stories”. The purpose of this publication is to provide a summary from the educational perspective of what First Nations communities are doing with ICT and the support they receive from the First Nations SchoolNet program. We hope readers enjoy learning about the levels of ICT innovation and integration that are occurring in band-managed schools not only in the Quebec region, but across Canada as well.   Click here to download the file

Schoolnet Success Stories Volume #1 The FNEC is delighted to present the first volume of success stories reflecting community accomplishments in Information Communications Technologies (ICT).   Click here to download the file

On Tuesday March 7th at 3pm EST / 2pm CST, Dr. Pirjo Vaittinen from the University of Tampere, Finland will conduct an on-line seminar with teaching professionals across Ontario's far north.

She will provide a thirty minute overview of her research on teaching and learning language and literacy in the Finnish school system.  Following her presentation and responses will be made by Darrin Potter, principal of the Keewaytinook Internet High School in Balmertown. Joining Darrin will be Roy Morris and Sherry Mamakwa of the Kwayaciiwin Educational Resource Centre in Sioux Lookout.

A question and answer period will follow with directors of education, principals andteachers working in First Nations schools in remote and isolated communities in Ontarios's far north.

Workshop participants will discuss whether best practices and lessons learned in Finland have an application in Ontario's far north. The session will be streamed and archived for those unable to participate "live."

The on-line workshop is hosted by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute (KORI - http://research.knet.ca), the research arm of Keewaytinook Okimakanak, one of NAN's six tribal councils serving First Nations in Ontario's far north.

Confirmed videoconferencing sites include Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, Balmertown, Keewaywin and Weagamow First Nation. KO is the leader of First Nations connectivity and telecommications in Canada. K-NET Services, the telecommunications department of KO facilitates IP videoconferencing in over 80 communities in Ontario and across Canada.

For more information or to find out how to participate on-line, email wesleymckay@knet.ca at KORI.