“ReVision Quest mixes personal storytelling, current affairs interviews and comedy to explore issues affecting Native peoples today, kicking some ass-umptions about Aboriginal life along the way. It’s a show about the First Nations experience, created by all First Nations producers. Our guide is Darrell Dennis originally from the Shuswap First Nation in B.C.”

Download the Teacher’s Guide and Student Activities which include more cultural information, thought provoking questions and tasks for literacy learners. Listen to the podcast online or download it for later.

Episode 2: Free Stuff

This episode investigates the assumptions and misconceptions that some people have about Aboriginal people who receive ‘free stuff’ because they are Aboriginal. The Indian Treaties, Indian Act, and government funding for Aboriginal peoples and communities, are examined through interviews and sketches.

Click to listen online or Right-click to download MP3

Download the FREE STUFF Student Activities

Download the FREE STUFF Teacher's Guide

• Audio © 2008 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
• Host: Darrell Dennis
• Produced by Iris Yudai
• With appearances by Gerry “The Big Bear” Barrett, Rosanna Deerchild and Mike O’Brien

• Curriculum Developer Rachel A. Mishenene
• Development Team:
• Maria Morrison, Ningwakwe Learning Press
• Kim Ziervogel, CBC
• Laura Hamilton, Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities
• Linda Wright, Sioux Hudson Literacy Council
• Tina Reed, Contact North
• Colleen Toulouse
• Ningwakwe Learning Press gratefully acknowledges funding from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for the development of this material.

Published by Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2012

“ReVision Quest mixes personal storytelling, current affairs interviews and comedy to explore issues affecting Native peoples today, kicking some ass-umptions about Aboriginal life along the way. It’s a show about the First Nations experience, created by all First Nations producers. Our guide is Darrell Dennis originally from the Shuswap First Nation in B.C.”

Download the Teacher’s Guide and Student Activities which include more cultural information, thought provoking questions and tasks for literacy learners. Listen to the podcast online or download it for later.

Check back soon as we will be posting more episodes!

Episode 1: Labels

This episode explores the terminology and labels that are associated with Aboriginal people in Canada: First Nations, Natives, Aboriginal, Indigenous, and Indian. Host, Darrell Dennis interviews various Aboriginal people regarding their opinions and stance on these labels. Information about the Indian Act (Membership and Status) is discussed.

Listen online to Labels or right-click to download and save.

Download the Student Activities

Download the Teacher's Guide

• Audio © 2009 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
• Host: Darrell Dennis
• Produced by Doug Holmes
• With appearances by Rosanna Deerchild, Waubgeshig Rice, Dean Jenkins and Wab Kinew

• Curriculum Developer Rachel A. Mishenene
• 
  
• Development Team:
• Maria Morrison, Ningwakwe Learning Press
• Kim Ziervogel, CBC
• Laura Hamilton, Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities
• Linda Wright, Sioux Hudson Literacy Council
• Tina Reed, Contact North
• Colleen Toulouse
• Ningwakwe Learning Press gratefully acknowledges funding from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for the development of this material.

Published by Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2012

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.

It has been a wonderful experience working on this project.  It’s been challenging in many positive ways.  For example, in Ontario, literacy organizations are in the process of adapting to a task based learning environment called the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF).  When Good Learning Anywhere received a copy of the curriculum created around the OALCF, we had to convert the tasks into an online format.  This was challenging because the course design has to take in consideration how much experience learners have taking online literacy courses.  GLA has the experience and knowledge in these areas and was delighted to be asked to participate in this partnership.

Another challenge in delivering online literacy courses for adults is that it’s so important to consider the different ways adults learn.  So in that regard, we specifically included tasks in the course from the curriculum that would be meaningful to the online learner.  We included a variety of tasks such as: discussion forums, writing assignments, Internet research, LIVE Sharing Circles, some video and of course, the ReVision Quest podcasts themselves.

Personally, I like how this project has taken something that was already created and made a learning opportunity out of it.  I think too often that we are always looking for the next best teaching tool when we don’t have to.  In my opinion, partnerships that take on this type of approach can deliver a high return on investment.  I see this as a future model of partnerships in literacy.

The lesson plans, podcasts and student activities will be available on NLP’s site for everyone to use with their First Nation, Inuit, and Metis learners later this fall. These resources will also be a wonderful cross cultural awareness tools for all adult Canadian literacy providers and students.

Producing relevant literacy material for a mainly Canadian audience has led to a very inclusive process. Not only does the Publishing Manager (me) work side by side with the author throughout their writing and research, but we round up some great professionals with profound knowledge and opinions to assist.

We have been busy working with half a dozen authors this year and now we are getting close to completion. But it’s not over yet! All of our books and the accompanying teacher’s guide and student lesson plans are vetted in real classrooms, with real literacy learners. This final field testing of our resources ensures that our materials not only meet editorial and MTCU standards for literacy but that they are relevant, culturally appropriate and engaging.

If you are a literacy instructor or high school teacher who would like to volunteer to participate in our upcoming field testing, we would love to hear from you! Even if you do not have Aboriginal students in your class but want to try out some cross cultural studies, this would be a great opportunity.

There are lots of different topics of materials to choose from, so feel free to volunteer to field test a material that you are interested in. Here are the general topics:

• Truth and Reconciliation
• Oka: 20 years Later
• Labels – What do we call you – Native, Indian, First Nation, Aboriginal?
• Free Stuff – Investigating the assumptions that Aboriginal people receive free stuff
• Ecological cultural information for Urban Aboriginals
• History of the Lenni Lenape people
• How to become an involved citizen in a First Nation community
• Healthy Life Series book about HIV/AIDS

Please email me at publisher@firstnationliteracy.com by October 30, 2011 to participate in this round of field testing and material development.

Ningwakwe Learning Press needs you and your learners to continue making awesome resources for First Nation, Métis and Inuit students across Canada.

Ningwakwe Learning Press continues to celebrate and promote First Nation, Metis and Inuit cultures in all of our books. Our hope is that by providing Indigenous people across Canada with the teachings and stories of their ancestors in a learning environment that they will not only gain new literacy skills, but traditional knowledge that will empower their quest for identity.

At first it sounds a bit like a cliché beauty pageant contestant answer of asking for world peace. But any effort, big or small, that we, as individuals and organizations, make will add to our common objective of peace for everyone. NLP will continue our quest for peace and literacy for all Canadians. Miigwetch.

The Assembly of First Nations has these stats:

• Only half of First Nation youth complete high school but when First Nations youth complete high school, they are twice as likely to be employed.
• Only 8% of Aboriginal people have a university degree, compared to 23% of the Canadian population, but when First Nations youth are able to complete a university degree, they triple their earning potential.

http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/factsheets/a_call_to_action-final_2.pdf

UNESCO’s Fact Sheet on world literacy issues:

http://www.uis.unesco.org/FactSheets/Documents/Fact_Sheet_2010_Lit_EN.pdf

Another factoid examined why Aboriginal people are 10 times more likely to become infected with HIV/AIDS than the general public.  A few of the reasons are social and economic factors, substance use, and limited access to health services.

A veritable tsunami of health deficiencies overwhelm Aboriginal people and sadly, it’s been that way for quite some time.   Not only are rates of HIV/AIDS higher than in the general public, but Aboriginal people suffer higher rates of diabetes, obesity, infant mortality and suicide to name but  a few.

What stands out for me in the writing of this book is the feedback I received from the team at Ningwakwe Learning Press.  They suggested giving the main character, Sage, a more rounded emotional connection to the reader. So, I added an element of loneliness and confusion, which is rather common in these circumstances.

Although there are plenty of services, support groups and literature about HIV/AIDS (or for that matter on any other diseases and illnesses) undoubtedly, a person can still feel lonely and confused no matter how much support they may have when dealing with something so monumental.

This book will be available in September. Our hope is that in providing culture-based, health related literature to adult literacy students, that they can learn something extremely useful and improve their reading skills at the same time.