Every year in October, MFNERC hosts an annual First Nations Circle of Knowledge & Practices Conference. Last week, the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre was the site for this great event, and we hope the ideas and knowledge shared will resonate with participants for months to come. Here’s a look back at some highlights…
Day one began with an inspiring opening ceremony, including words from Chief Dennis White Bird, Chief Arlen Dumas and Ry Moran of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, as well as a Chiefs’ panel that discussed various issues around First Nations education. (Keep an eye on our vimeo channel, where videos will soon be posted.)
From there it was non-stop workshops, networking and re-fueling with coffee at the trade show. The theme of this year’s conference was “Honouring our Past, Reclaiming our Future: Reconciliation in First Nations Education” and many engaging
workshops focused directly on this theme. For example, one of the most popular workshops was presented by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. It detailed what has been done to date and what the future holds. Elder Victor Harper gave a much-praised and well-attended workshop on how to use Traditional Knowledge to help with change, and representatives from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights presented a virtual tour of its great facility.
Throughout day two, many other presentations focused on different tools, both traditional First Nations and western approaches, that can be used in the classroom to help further build reconciliation. Jessica Chisholm brought teachers together for the purpose of demonstrating how children can become resilient using play. While Betty Lynxleg gave an informative workshop entitled “Creating Community-Based Curriculum,” Curtis Mallett walked participants through the Kairos Blanket Exercise.
Overall, once again the First Nations Circle of Knowledge & Practices Conference was a huge success and MFNERC would like the thank everyone who took part – presenters and participants – and we look forward to seeing you next year in Winnipeg.
See FNCKP 2015 photos in our gallery.
