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Working With Aboriginal Youth Handouts

The document provides information on working with Aboriginal youth, including: - A historical overview of the damaging legacy of residential schools on Aboriginal families and culture. - The impact of this history on Aboriginal students' self-esteem and relationship with authority/institutions. - Key Aboriginal values like spirituality, respect, and finding beauty that should guide working with students. - Characteristics of "belonging environments" that make all students feel included versus "almost belonging" environments. - Resources for teaching Aboriginal topics and history in a culturally-sensitive way.

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Working With Aboriginal Youth Handouts

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Working with

Aboriginal Youth
Handouts

March 2010
British Columbia Teachers Federation
100 550 West 6th Avenue Vancouver BC V5Z 4P2

Overall goals
How do I honestly reach Aboriginal
youth in todays educational
system?

How to make meaningful

connections with Aboriginal youth?

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Historical Look at Aboriginal

Involvement in Schooling
Residential Schools
Aboriginal parents had to be on the Band list
to send their children to the
Residential School (RS)
Children were taken away from their parents
and sent to RS throughout the country
usually far away from home
Children often spent 10 months out a year at
these schools. Many were removed from their
homes at six years old and did not return until
they were 16
Parents had no involvement in the education
of their children
Parents had limited involvement in the raising
of their children
Some parents chose to keep their children out
of school and educate them in the ways of
their ancestors
All students were exposed to some form of
abuse
All students were taught their language and
ways of life were not acceptable
When children returned home they did not fit
in. They couldnt communicate effectively
with their parents
Many children held their parents responsible
for letting them be sent off to RS
RS started in the 1800s and continued into
the 1900s. In about 1950 the Federal
government began negotiating with the
provincial governments to allow Aboriginal
students to attend public schools. By the
1980s most of the RS were closed
The Federal government made a formal
apology in the 1990s and $350 million to
help heal (the same week they gave $500
million to get out of purchasing army
helicopters without receiving any
helicopters priorities?)

Public Schools
Aboriginal parents had to be non-status and
their children were allowed to stay at home
and attend the local public school. The RS
system developed because the Federal
government was responsible for Aboriginal
education and each province was responsible
for the education of all its members except
for status Indians
Parents were told, in many ways, that being
Aboriginal was being less of a person
Students were taught the curriculum that the
other students were taught. Often Aboriginal
peoples, and their contributions to Canada
were ignored
Aboriginal students were not taught, and often
continue to not be taught, or encouraged to
explore their cultural heritage
In both school systems
Aboriginal parents had no/limited say in the
education of their children.

NOTE: Only Aboriginal peoples were subjected

to being forcefully removed from their families
for education purposes with governmental
support Other minorities also suffered but not
outside the family unit on the scale of the
Aboriginal peoples.

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Impact of Education Upon Aboriginal

People
Many of the Aboriginal parents of the students you are teaching will have these types of feelings
about schools/institutions/
What impact will that have upon their children?
Note: Not all of the following will apply to each person these are the types of challenges most
Aboriginal people have to overcome on their personal decolonizing journey:

Towards me as an Aboriginal person:

A sense of shame at being Aboriginal
A sense of alienation from family
A sense of helplessness and/or powerlessness
A sense of anger towards all authority (be it positive authority or negative)
A distrust of people with power
A distrust of institutions (banks, schools, hospitals, police )

Towards me as a person:
An attack on my personal self-esteem
A sense of failure, not measuring up
A sense that Im not able to succeed
A lack of control in my life
A sense of victimization
An anger and distrust towards schooling/principals/teachers
A realization that schooling failed me
A sad acceptance that in todays society my children need an education and your system must
do the education

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Aboriginal Values/Beliefs to Use When

Working With Aboriginal Students
Values/Beliefs

Details

Spiritual Worldview

Many Aboriginal cultures see the world from a spiritual point of

view. Euro-Canadian society sees mostly from a scientific
worldview.

Sacredness of Women

Women are considered sacred in many Aboriginal cultures. With

this belief, women must be treated with utmost respect, dignity,
etc

Spirit of a Child

Children were/are considered gifts from the creator.

If the spirit of a child is nourished, his mind and body will grow
strong.
Each students spirit must be honoured, respected
The school system often damages the spirit of a child.

Wholeness

The entire world of the Aboriginal student must be considered if

one is to be of assistance to an Aboriginal student.

Respect

Each individual student needs to be shown the utmost of respect.

They respond likewise.
When people are in emotional pain, they need a tremendous amount
of patience and understanding.

Individuality

Each person is an individual but is also connected to their

family/community but there is no duality.
Soft individualism

Finding Beauty

Every person is beautiful, and this beauty must be found and

encouraged to grow.

Mindbody

There is no duality of mind and body, they are one. This is an

extremely important concept when counseling Aboriginal youth.
There might be a separation between mindbody and spirit as
many Aboriginal societies see the spirit leaving the mindbody.

Humour

It is important to be able to use humour in healthy ways.

Aunt/Uncle Mentality

Aunts and uncles were important teachers because parents were too
emotionally involved, as were grandparents. Aunts and uncles were
just right.

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Belonging Environments
What does a Belonging School Look Like?
Includes everyone
Consensus = win/win
Self-assessing, self-aware
Committed to each other
Realistic = humility
A safe place to be
Personal disarmament = individuals are willing to transform
Fight with dignity
Everyone is a leader, at different times
Spirit of peace
Community control = follows local values/directions

A Belonging Model

Teacher
belonging
centred

Almost

Belonging
environments

environments

Teacher controlled to less teacher-controlled environments

Students rights and responsibilities
respected and encouraged
Helping student understand and
develop their capacities is critical
Dancing with the four goals of
Aboriginal education are the
cornerstones of the classroom

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Almost Belonging Environments

vs. Belonging Environments
Example
Fringe and Beyond
Students

Rights, Freedoms and

Responsibilities
Basic Human Values
Expectations of
Students
Role Model
Self-esteem

Almost Belonging
Rather not have them in their class
Confrontations are seen as
problems
Usually create win/lose situations
Rights may, or may not, be taught
but not lived consistently
Taught when appropriate, almost
incidentally
Vary
Usually limited support
Talking usually first, then
sometimes, action
Important but not a cornerstone
Failure often occurs and is
tolerated

Peer Pressure

Name calling, put downs, etc.

allowed to some extent

Open Field trips

Only good students end up going

while the fringe students drop out
(often with inadequate reasons)
Behavioural students often kicked
off because they cant live up to
expectations (which they are not
taught how to)

Extra-Curricular
Activities

Low to high priority

Consultation
Commitment

End of the day is often (not

always) the end of the day
Cant often go the extra distance
that is required to reach many
students
May be important but often not
used to their full potential
Humans look for meaning through
symbolism

Symbolism

Working with Aboriginal Youth, July 2006Participants handouts

Belonging Environments
Believe in these types of students
Develops trusting relationships
Win/win situations are important
People are emotional beings
Basic human rights are a
cornerstone of the class and all
interactions
Specifically trained and modeled
High expectations but are
achievable with lots of support
Action is usually first with possible
talking/debriefing later
Constantly structuring positive
learning experiences
Failure accepted but analyzed and
understood
Negative peer pressures of any
kind are not tolerated
Discussed constantly
Anyone who wants to can go
Behavioural students are taught
how to do what is expected
Must stay with fundraising unless a
valid reason for stopping

Very high priority

Get to know students on a personal
level
Constantly seeking advice, etc.
from students, parents . . .
Totally committed to helping
students belong, succeed, etc.
Another cornerstone
Culturally relevant symbols used
constantly
Create own symbols that define
who you are

Aboriginal Education Teaching Resources

All information below can be found on the BCTF website:
http://bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=13404
Bibliography on First Nations topics or by First Nations authors is a comprehensive book list
published by Merritt Secondary School, Merritt, B.C.
Beyond Words: Creating Racism-Free Schools for Aboriginal Learners, a BCTF Aboriginal
Education publication.
The online version of the B.C. First Nations Studies 12 Integrated Resource Package (PDF) is
available from the Ministry of Education's Web site. The Ministry has approved designating FNS 12
as a course which meets the Foundation Studies requirement in Social Studies.
The British Columbia Treaty Process Awareness Test was developed by Brian Domney, Negotiator
in the Treaty Negotiations Division of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.
First Nations Art in B.C., B.C. Archives Time Machine Gallery Three (Gr.4), focuses on artwork by
three First Nations artists.
The First Nations Historical Timeline, developed by the Prince Rupert School District #52, provides
a chronological, historical record of the First Nations people in British Columbia.
First Nations in B.C., B.C. Archives Time Machine Gallery Seven (Gr. 9), includes Aboriginal
accounts and European ethnographic collections of stories.
Kamloops/Thompson SD 73, in partnership with the First Nations Education Council, has created a
web site on the history, culture and traditions of the Secwepemc Nation.
Shared Learnings, the K-10 support document for the integration of First Nations material
throughout the curriculum.
Understanding the B.C. Treaty Process assists teachers in responding to questions and in facilitating
classroom discussions about the treaty process. The report was prepared by the First Nations
Education Steering Committee, the BCTF, and the Tripartite Public Education Committee, with
support from the B.C. Treaty Commission. Printed copies of the publication are available by
contacting Anne Field at the BCTF.

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