Understanding Education in Aboriginal Communities
Earlier this month, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples released the report Reforming First Nations Education: From Crisis to Hope which presents the First Nations educational system in crisis. The report indicates that a staggering seven out of 10 children are not graduating from high school in First Nations communities.
Senator Lillian Dyck, Deputy Chair of this Standing Senate Committee, was an integral part in the development of the First Nations Education report and is also Chair of Let’s Talk Science’s Aboriginal Advisory Council. Let’s Talk Science is committed to supporting Aboriginal education and has worked closely with its National Aboriginal Advisory Council to develop and launch a national Aboriginal outreach strategy. This strategy supports First Nations youth by encouraging learning and inspiring students to envision their future to include science.
Within a year of founding Let’s Talk Science in 1993, the non-profit organization developed its local science outreach programs in partnership with First Nations communities in Southwestern Ontario. Since then, Let’s Talk Science has continued to improve access of all its programs and services to First Nations communities and since 2005, the Wings of Discovery program has been adopted by many Aboriginal Head Start sites across Canada.
Outreach to Aboriginal communities is an integral part of Let’s Talk Science’s strategy. Through Let's Talk Science Outreach, volunteers travel to rural and remote Aboriginal communities to deliver hands-on activities that motivate learning. Let’s Talk Science also offers diverse training opportunities to support volunteer outreach with Aboriginal youth. In addition to the volunteer outreach program, First Nations youth are engaged through summer camps and after school programs.
The recent release of the Reforming First Nations Education: From Crisis to Hope report, along with the recent CMEC Aboriginal Educators Forum held in Winnipeg, both demonstrate that more can and must be done to support the learning of Aboriginal youth. Let's Talk Science is committed to extending its programs and services to youth in under-served communities that do not have the same level of access to science programming as urban communities. It is with the help of supporters such as Imperial Oil Foundation, Merck, Raytheon Canada Limited, the CIBC Foundation, the RBC Foundation and the Canada Foundation for Innovation that allows Let’s Talk Science to reach these communities. Even with dedicated outreach, obstacles such as language barriers, remote locations, and few schools covering large geographical regions still exist. Let’s Talk Science is prepared to support the recommendation that a collective and concerted effort is required to ensure that all youth will be prepared to succeed in the 21st century.
The full report is available on the Senate committee website at http://senate-senat.ca/appa.as
