Category: Current Events

Keeping the Language Alive – My Goals

The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC) would like to invite First Nations Youths to participate and fill out the language goal sheet. You can use English or your First Nations language – It’s your choice!

Remember to have fun!

Northern Youth Land-Based Numeracy Fair

The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC) would like to invite students from Grades 5-9
to attend the Northern Land-Based Youth Fair on September 25, 2025. This event will take place at The Boreal
Discovery Centre, 110 UCN Drive, Thompson, MB, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

This is a one-day fair where students will participate in land-based activities to make connections to math
concepts. Students will rotate through the different land-based activity stations with their groups.
Interested schools will need to:

Designate a total number of 5-10 students from their respective communities

Fill out the registration form and fax back to Nicole Fontaine, Administrative Assistant, by Friday, September
12, 2025, at (204) 477-4314

On March 12 and 13, students from across Manitoba gathered for a two-day Heritage
Fair, celebrating the rich histories, Treaty stories, languages, and Traditional Knowledge of their First Nations. This event provided a meaningful platform for young learners to engage with their past,
reflect on their present, and shape their future.

To read the full article, visit https://mfnerc.org/communications-hub/magazine-2-2/

The history and purpose of residential schools is a difficult subject to gently deliver to students. With this challenge in mind, members of the Resource Centre’s Residential Schools Working Group developed a series of age-appropriate books and teacher guides to address this tragic era of Canadian and First Nations history. The finished project is being distributed to member schools as a bundle called Manitoba Residential Schools: Resource Bundles for Nursery to Grade 12.

To read the full article, visit https://mfnerc.org/communications-hub/magazine-2-2/

For three weeks in January, 10 Manitoba First Nations School System (MFNSS) schools participated in the Data Dunkers program, which seamlessly integrates basketball with data science education. This innovative initiative, sponsored by Dell Technologies and the PS43 Foundation, empowers students to explore data science through the lens of a sport they love—engaging them in physical activity and
the world of data.

Data Dunkers offers students in Grades 5–12 a unique opportunity to learn foundational data science skills by analyzing basketball statistics. The program’s curriculum encourages students to explore data by identifying key questions, gathering and cleansing data, and presenting their findings. This hands-on approach makes learning interactive while fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

2nd Annual First Nations Youth Celebration of Our Languages

The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. invites all MFNERC and MFNSS First Nation Schools to participate in the 2nd Annual First Nations Youth Celebration of Our Languages event being held at Chemawawin School, 1 Cree Road, Chemawawin Cree Nation, Manitoba on September 25, 2025.

This event will showcase First Nations language learning for early, middle, and high school students learning First Nations Language programming. Participants will have a choice of activities to showcase language learning and speaking.

Interested schools will need to:
Designate 10 students and one fluent Elder/Knowledge Keeper from their respective communities. The Elder/Knowledge Keeper will assist with student performances. Please provide the name of the selected Elder/Knowledge Keeper, as an honorarium will be provided on the day of the event.

Complete the registration form and return it to Ashley Kinsman, Administrative Assistant by Monday, September 15, 2025, via email at ashleyk@mfnerc.com or by fax (204) 477-4314.

Seasonal Land-Based Youth Education Gathering

The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. would like to invite you to participate in the Annual MFNERC Seasonal Land-Based Youth Education Gathering (Winter/Spring) being held at Neil Dennis Kematch Memorial School in Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba on April 28th to May 1st, 2025.

Open to middle years and high school students!

Please note that MFNERC will not be responsible for any costs associated with travel-related expenses. Appropriate winter/spring wear is strongly encouraged due to unpredictable weather conditions. Some events and activities will be held outdoors and, on the land, and water. We highly recommend that
participants/chaperones and teachers bring appropriate clothing.

Purpose

The purpose of the land-based education workshops and events is to provide our youth with team-building skills and knowledge of how we, as First Nations people, used animals, trees, water and made tools from the land for all aspects of life. These skills can be in the form of teamwork, hunting, animal preparation, and using essential parts of the animal as tools or instruments required for everyday tasks. The participants will experience seasonal harvesting of foods & medicines. We also want to teach the youth the importance of participating in events our people used to do before colonization. The event will be fun, friendly, and educational.

Niimidaa: Let’s Dance

MFNERC 4th Annual Inter-school Powwow

Participating schools are required to register their students and designated chaperones. Please complete the registration form to Lisa Assiniboine at lisaassiniboine@gmail.com or fax: 204-252-2786. Registration deadline is May 2, 2025.

ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
Students will:

• Have an opportunity to come together to share their gift of dance
• Learn about powwow protocols
• Engage in networking and relationship building
• Learn about their history and identity as First Nations people.

TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, MEALS, LOGISTICS, ETC.
All schools will be responsible for their own travel arrangements and other accommodations.
Meals will be provided for students and chaperones on the day of the event, May 15, 2025.
The nearest accommodations are in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

• Microtel Inn & Suites, (Owned by Long Plain First Nation),
  5100 Crescent Rd W,
  Portage La Prairie, MB R1N-4C3,
  204-400-5083
• Canad Inns Destination Centre,
  2401 Saskatchewan Ave W,
  Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 4A6,
  204-875-9745
• Super 8 by Wyndham,
  2668 Saskatchewan Ave W,
  Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 3B2,
  204-857-8883
• Howard Johnson by Wyndham,
  Hwy 1 and Yellowquill Trail,
  Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 3C3,
  204-819-4392

On September 20, Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre’s (Resource Centre) Digital Learning Environment (DLE) team visited Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation. They attended Lawrence Sinclair Memorial School, where teachers and students were eager for a day of hands-on learning with technology. This visit helped ensure that students and staff learned to use technology tools that can change the classroom experience.

The atmosphere at Lawrence Sinclair Memorial School was lively as teachers and students explored the digital tools. The DLE team introduced them to CONNECT, a platform that brings together many educational apps, and QuickCard, a helpful resource that makes accessing these apps easy. QuickCard benefits students, especially younger ones, who can log in without having to remember usernames and passwords. This makes logging in much more straightforward and hassle-free.

For full story, https://mfnerc.org/communications-hub/magazine-2-2/