Culturally Relevant Resolutions

Beginning a new year is always a time of reflection and goal setting. I was reflecting about my role here with Ningwakwe Learning Press over the past 16 years and thought, “WOW! We have over a hundred materials developed.” NLP has created Aboriginal culturally relevant resources for students, teachers and administrators for use in literacy programs across Canada.

The Gift of Sharing by Lawrence Rivers

With news stories making headlines, like Attawapiskat and the proposed First Nations Education Act, it seems like a very old story with the same problems evident within the education system for Aboriginal people. Everyone from the leaders in Canadian politics, to our chiefs, down to the grassroots workers, knows that education is the key in starting to improve the lives of First Nation people.

As a publisher, I wondered, “What can we do? What’s NLP’s role in the bigger picture?” The broad range of topics and ideas for new books will not run out anytime soon. Every week I either come up with an idea for the next book or am presented with a wonderful topic that could be relevant for many people. We try to pick the top three ideas to write about each year. Our top priorities need to also take into consideration reading levels, regional locations and different cultural groups.

The focus on materials can’t just be merely about ‘cultural fluff.’ They have to be deep rooted not only in holistic, traditional knowledge but also in reading, writing, grammar and essential skills. These materials should also include elements of job or post-secondary readiness or job retention. It’s not enough to create resources that explain some aspect of cultural knowledge that the learners just read. There has to be something in these resources that assist in meeting the specific goals of the learner, whatever those may be.

I think that the term “culturally relevant,” when referring to books and resources, can encompass looking for jobs, improving life skills and financial management because these elements are a big part of First Nation culture in Canada today.

There is definitely a need for Aboriginal content and we are grateful for continued funding, which shows recognition of this need, from the Ontario Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities.  It’s a new year with some of the same old challenges but let’s start it off with a new attitude and vision for a better future.