Chiefs and education leaders from ten Kenora First Nations travelled from Ontario to Nova Scotia to learn more about the process of transferring educational jurisdiction to First Nations control.  The visit lasted from February 22-24 and included visits to Membertou, Chapel Island, and Eskasoni First Nations.  The Kenora Chiefs are in the early stages of a transfer of education jurisdiction initiative and were here to learn about the Nova Scotia experience in this process.

To date, Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey with its participating First Nations is the only Aboriginal educational organization in Canada to establish a legal framework for community control of education.

Grand Chief of the Mi’kmaw Nation, Ben Sylliboy, and host Chief Terry Paul of Membertou welcomed the Kenora Area Chiefs to Mi’kmaw territory after a traditional drumming by the Sons of Membertou.  Chief Lindsay Marshall, Chairperson for Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, moderated a panel discussion on the Mi’kmaw education jurisdiction and the exercise of community education jurisdiction.

Pictured is Kenora Area Tribal Chief George Crow presenting Marjorie Gould, Executive Director, and Chief Lindsay Marshall, Chair of Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, with a gift symbolizing gratitude for pioneering aboriginal educational community control and for sharing that knowledge and strength.

The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs supported Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey becoming the regional Help Desk for the Atlantic First Nation SchoolNet communities. It began in January 2000.

The Help Desk is designed to assist students and educators.  Lauretta Welsh, Director of Finance and Planning offers her assessment, “it is a good opportunity where everyone pulls together for the benefit of Native children in the classroom.”

“The Help Desk is going to be proactive,” explains Kevin Burton, IT Manager.  “Rather than sitting back, waiting for someone to have a problem, the Help Desk is going to help create teachable moments by conducting contests for the children.”
Laura Bernard, Support Technician, added “I love the thought of our people getting connected and becoming empowered through the internet, and I look forward to meeting and working with school and community leaders.”

To see the web page, go to www.firstnationhelp.com

Capital Working Group… The Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey Capital Working Group and the Education Working Group held a joint meeting on February 17, 2000.  At this meeting the group discussed the INAC (Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) School Space Accommodations Standards and the Provincial School Design Requirements Manual.   There is an initiative underway to develop Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey school construction standards for on-reserve schools that will meet the curriculum needs of the communities.  These standards will form an integrated component of the long term capital plan.

The Education Working Group… Since 1998 the Education Working Group has looked at Special Education programming and related policies.  As a result, a subcommittee was created to explore this issue.

After a series of meetings in 1998 and 1999 it was felt that the present funding policy and its application were inadequate to address special education issues.  Terms of Reference for a study were drawn up and a call for proposals was initiated in November of 1999.

Fred Wien of the Maritime School of Social Work in association with Isabel den Heyer of St. F.X. University is under contract to coordinate the study.  It is set for completion in June of 2000.  At that time a final report will be presented to the Education Working Group for further discussion and action.

The opportunity for educators to come together, to learn, and to share will be revived on April 13-14, 2000 in Eskasoni.  The last ANTEC Conference was held in Eskasoni in 1993 and the year 2000 is appropriate to restart this important conference.  Further ANTEC Conferences will occur on a biannual basis at this and other locations across the Maritimes.  This conference is supported by the Education Directors of the Maritimes, the Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Department of Indian & Northern Affairs.

During the fall of 1999, the Atlantic First Nation schools and communities were asked to forward topics that were of interest to them.  The ANTEC Committee then drew on their suggestion and constructed an agenda of a workshop.  These workshops are varied and explore things such as FAS/FAE, computers as teaching tools, learning styles, language immersion, special needs, conflict resolution, writing strategies, co-op ed and many more.

As many as 300+ participants are expected for this conference and registration and program information can be obtained by contacting:

ANTEC Conference Committee
Eskasoni School
Eskasoni, NS  B0A 1J0
Phone: 902-379-2825
Fax:  902-379-2886
E-mail: philmoore@kitpu.ednet.ns.ca

This will be the 3rd year that this symposium will be offered on May 16 and 17, 2000 at St. F.X. University in Antigonish.  The success of this forum can be attributed to the efforts of the St. F.X. Education Department and Mi?kmaw participants who have facilitated this forum.

With the input and assistance of a committee drawn from First Nation educators in Nova Scotia, the symposium this year will focus on developing a framework document to Mi’kmaw Second Language.  It will present a vision, principles and strategy statements for Mi’kmaw language instruction from P-12.

This forum continues to be supported by Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, Nova Scotia Department of Education, and Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Previous conferences have focussed on promotion of Mi’kmaw language in the schools as this most precious of gifts is being lost.  The promotion and development of school-based strategies to stop and reverse this trend of language loss is the ultimate goal of this group.

Further information on this symposium and on previous conferences can be obtained from:

Joanne Thompkins, St. F. X. University
Antigonish, NS, Tel.: 902-867-5523