Students build understanding of Indigenous culture through Youth Exchanges Canada
For Katie Clay, a teacher at the YMCA Academy, almost a full year of trip planning just paid off.
Through Youth Exchanges Canada (YEC), her students travelled to Tobique First Nation reserve in New Brunswick. They were visiting youth from Wolastoq Education Initiative, after hosting them here in Toronto the month prior.
A teacher’s take on a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her students
Here’s what Katie had to say about the exchange, and how it became the highlight of her students’ high school careers:
The first night we arrived in Tobique, we were lucky to meet Matthew Jefferson, who has walked across Canada from Victoria, British Columbia to raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women. He shared statistics, but also his personal journey: Jefferson’s aunt has been missing for 2 years.
The next day, the students participated in cultural workshops including basket weaving, wood burning, rattle making, creating medicine bags, and a scavenger hunt for medicinal plants. Local artists and community members ran the workshops, explaining the history and significance of each activity.
On the plant scavenger, we learned how various plants are used in traditional medicines — and then went out to find some of them ourselves. One of our leaders, Rein, had a bad cold and a member of the community got him some bear root (also called "osha") that he made into a tea to soothe his throat. It was interesting to see firsthand how traditional medicine works and how community members help each other out.
Later in the week, many of our students participated in a series of sweat lodge sessions. Each session had a different theme, amplified by drumming and songs, and participants were asked to share their feelings, experiences, or thoughts with the group. The experience required participants to be vulnerable and connect with each other more deeply. Between the heat, small space, and complete darkness, many participants were able to have a sensory break and look inward.
Finally, we visited a pop-up museum at the University of New Brunswick. A centre there showcases traditional culture and education to support and encourage the growth of Indigenous students. We explored the artifacts on display and learned about the history of various tools and the value in researching them.
New opportunities and experiences, deeper understanding
Seeing her students develop a greater appreciation of Indigenous culture, build strong friendships, and explore the great Canadian outdoors made the trip so meaningful for Katie and her colleagues:
Overall, this experience allowed us to learn about Indigenous history, culture, and issues by participating in various activities that promoted a deeper understanding of our connection to the land and to one another.
The youth loved travelling to another province. They embraced the environment in New Brunswick and enjoyed staying in the cabins and being outdoors.
As leaders, we found that the exchange program helped our students be more comfortable in unknown situations. We made so many great memories and the youth built strong bonds with their friends from Tobique.
A life-changing exchange experience for your students
Are you interested in offering the Youth Exchanges Canada program to your students? Katie says you should go for it — and start planning now:
I would highly recommend this program to other educators, because it provides opportunities that you and your youth would likely not be able to experience otherwise.
My advice would be to start planning early and to involve parents as much as possible to help with organizing food and activities. The YEC team is also very supportive and is always available to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
The program was an amazing experience and seeing what the students get out of it makes all the work more than worth it!
Apply by September 30, 2019 to give your students or youth group the experience of a lifetime by leading them on an exchange next spring or summer!
