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Cover image for the video series "Stories from the Field" which include 4 smiling heads divided vertically

Stories From the Field

Reflecting on Stories from the Field As Ever Active Schools, we are often in so many places in a school year, that it’s hard to sit back and reflect on some of the moments and impacts we had in communities. So we sat down to collect “Stories from the Field” from some of our amazing…
A circle of adults during a basketball coaching clinic with a rolling whiteboard in the centre.

EVERYBODY PLAYS: LEAGUES OF PLAY

In the 2022/2023 school year, Ever Active Schools and Canadian Tire Jumpstart entered into a multi-year partnership centered around the dream that everybody plays. Through this work, we are providing: 100% opportunity to participate so that everybody plays. Focus on priority populations so that everybody plays. Capacity building through grassroots approaches so that everybody plays.…

HOSTING A HISTORIC ATHLETIC EVENT

In October 2022, Ever Active Schools had the opportunity to co-host the Alberta School Athletics Association (ASAA) Cross Country Running Provincial Championships with maskêkosihk, or Enoch Cree Nation. This was only the second time in ASAA history that a First Nation community was selected to host.  “It was so special because the Cultural Grounds [where…

EMPOWERED, INSPIRED AND CELEBRATED: STILL I RISE

The idea for ‘Still I Rise’ initially came to be in December 2020, when an insightful EAS team member working primarily in the Treaty 8 region recognized the need for Indigenous youth to receive messages of hope, perseverance and resilience in a time of uncertainty. From there the concept of a free virtual student event…

LAND-BASED LEARNING: CONSIDERING THE FUNDAMENTALS

Written by Andrea Barnes. Originally published in GEOEC Connections Journal, October 2021. As an Environmental Educator with Alberta Parks and a classroom teacher, one of the silver linings of this past 1.5 years has to be the dramatic uptake and motivation for teaching outdoors. As we move into another year, hopefully, this energy and passion…

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST THAT ENSURED OUR FUTURE

Acknowledging the Past that Ensured Our Future Written by Apsipistoo (Evans Yellow Old Woman) Oki Niksokowa, nistoo’unohk Apsipistoo, nitohmto’to Siksikawa.  Hello my friends, my name is Apsipistoo, which is my Siksika name. It was gifted to me by my late great grandmother Koomakii, who hailed from the Blood Tribe. My name means White Owl.  My…

BEAUTY AND STRUGGLE: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY 2021

Written by Sandra Lamouche June is National Indigenous History Month, and June 21 of this year marks the 25th year of celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. With over 300 First Nations, Metis and Inuit nations we have a lot to celebrate! As an award winning educator and a champion women’s hoop dancer, this is…

A TRADITIONAL FOODS CAMP IN ENOCH, ALBERTA

Written by Chelsea Cattroll, Ever Active Schools Once upon a time, in a not-so-distant past, Ever Active Schools and Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) launched a project called Miyomahchihowin (“In Good Health” in Cree). This project aimed to support pathways to employment and post-secondary education for Indigenous youth. Fast forward a few years and new…

MY HEART IS FULL: COMBATING COVID-19 THROUGH TRADITIONAL SKILLS

Written by Chelsea Cattroll, Ever Active Schools, with support from Dr. Kevin wâsakâyâsiw Lewis, kâniyâsihk Culture Camps We turn to the land when we are stressed to re-connect to ourselves and become grounded. During a time that can be perceived as stressful and turbulent, I have seen that many people are starting to return to…

INDIGENOUS STUDENTS ATTEND SUMMIT TO STRENGTHEN RESILIENCE

MORE THAN 300 STUDENTS, TEACHERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ELDERS FROM FIRST NATIONS AND METIS COMMUNITIES ACROSS ALBERTA GATHERED AT WINSPORT IN CALGARY ON NOVEMBER 27 AND 28 FOR A SUMMIT ON HEALTH, WELLNESS AND RESILIENCE.  The two-day event began with a host of active icebreaker activities that saw students interacting with new faces right off…

Culture as a Source of Wellness

20181128 Resiliency Summit KM 0536

Culture as a Source of Wellness is a program that aims to connect cultural supports to First Nation populations in school communities. These initiatives impact the school staff, the student body and the spirit of the school.

Culture is widely seen as vital to the identity of First Nations people. Culture may look like community events that involve crafting, dance or music. Often we will work to connect students with local Elders through partnerships with local First Nations and friendship centers. Addressing culture for our First Nation students is crucial to their success as it is said that once the culture of a community is healthy then the members of that community can grow and reach their full potential.

Our Resilient Schools team holds a wealth of knowledge and community connections to support cultural activities and utilize traditional wisdom keepers. Our staff recognizes the challenges that our First Nation students may experience, and we aim to support youth by creating supportive environments that respect culture and traditional practices. We work to have Elders and knowledge keepers present at our events to open the day in a good way, provide opportunities for all those who wish to smudge, and encourage students to practice their traditional language.

Culture as a Source of Wellness works with the school communities to address the cultural supports requested by students. This is achieved through relationship building and collaborative efforts with the respective school community. It can sometimes be challenging to find Elders or traditional wisdom keepers that are willing to share the knowledge and wisdom to staff and students. We are always learning about protocol, traditional games and storytelling. We understand that our learning is ongoing and appreciate when schools are open to helping us to have a positive impact on their school community.

"We had such a great day out on the hill, participating in outdoor traditional games. The kids had a great time and I think we learned a lot of valuable stuff about how to play traditional games, why they were played, and how to facilitate them ourselves back in our own school. Our Culture teacher now plans to take the kids out after spring break to collect material from nature and make our own versions of the games. I think the students will really enjoy that. Thank you for everything you've brought to our school, it is really making a difference in the students attitudes, outlook, and leadership skills."

- Teacher, after Treaty 7 Winter Traditional Games

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