By Steve Hubrecht
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is just around the corner, and the Outdoor Learning School and Store has a full slate of Indigenous learning resources and courses this year, many of them brand new.
The locally founded social enterprise, run by the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) has rapidly grown to become a continent-wide organization with global reach. Its Indigenous learning courses, program and materials are among its most popular, and with good reason.
The flagship 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning course returns and is now in its fourth year. More than 10,000 people from around the world have completed the course “and it keeps growing each year,” explained Outdoor Learning School and Store Director of Indigenous Learning Jenna Jasek.
The feedback from those who have taken the course is overwhelmingly positive, from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants alike.
“When you learn more about your heritage and what has happened to Indigenous Peoples in the past, it can be hurtful. But it also helps our understanding, and it’s been great to hear that from Indigenous (4 Seasons) participants,” said Jasek. “For non-Indigenous participants, many simply don’t know where to start in terms of reconciliation, and this course is a great place. For many non-Indigenous people, it (the course) turns out to be the beginning of a longer journey.”
Other major highlights this fall from the Outdoor Learning School and Store include a Land-based Learning and Reconciliation: Resources for Teaching Children webinar in September, which more than 3,000 people from 30 countries have registered for, and a virtual book launch in November for ‘Whispers of the Earth: A Journey through Indigenous Wisdom’ by Launa Purcell and Carl Sam.
Jasek described ‘Whispers of the Earth’ as “a beautiful?book about learning from many of our other relatives in the?world.”
This year there are three Indigenous language learning courses; Nêhiyawêwin (Cree), Michif (Métis), and Kanien’kéha, with more to be added in early 2025.
Jasek noted that language is another great initial access point for Indigenous people wanting to learn more about their own culture, and for non-Indigenous people wanting to learn about the Indigenous way of life.
The Michif course is in its second year and was very well received last year, said Jasek. There is not a Ktunaxa or Secwepemctsín language course this year, but a ‘second year’ Ktunaxa language course is planned for 2025. As Jasek pointed out, “every Indigenous community is different when it comes to languages. Some want to share their language far and wide, while others are in the process of re-learning their own languages themselves. There’s no right or wrong way.”
When it comes to books, there’s the just-released ‘Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness’ by Dr. Leigh Joseph; ‘Native Science: Natural Laws of Independence’ by Dr. Gregory Cajete; and coming later this fall, likely in November, “The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance’ by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The Outdoor Learning School and Store has plenty more Indigenous learning resources, including those aimed specifically at educators; for secondary and post-secondary learning; for intermediate and middle school learners; and for primary and early year learners. There’s also Every Child Matters flags and lanyards, and Medicines to Help Us kits.
Jasek also highlighted the Outdoor Learning Certification Program, which she explained “supports educators in integrating the outdoors into teaching practice using excellent strategies and resources”; as well as the Classroom Gardener with Megan Zeni, coming up in February, which offers pedagogical insights and practical expertise for building a school garden; and Sitting with Nature with Lauren MacLean, in November, in which MacLean shares her work with sit spots and getting outside.
