Report on 2007 Conference

Posted: June 27, 2007

The ONLC's 2007 provincial conference

'Moving Forward'

A few pictures and comments from the participants:

Learner delegates

- Enjoyed the interaction with local community

- Rewarding and inspirational

- Already looking forward to next year

- Utilization of the Medicine Wheel was dynamic and meaningful

Young drummers and singers at the Gathering

- Laughter was so uplifting

- Good Teachings - there is always something new to learn

- Excellent speaker choice (Don Burnstick) and approach

- Nice to see hand drums being used which are more traditional to the locale

- Networking with other literacy practitioners is the best part of the
conference for me

Everyone was invited to dance together

- Laughter is the best medicine!

- Great conference

- it’s so important to get together like this at least once a year because we
are so isolated by geography the rest of the time

- Excellent speakers

Traditional male dancer and Jingle dancer

- Powerful realizations and much needed balance

- Felt like we were a family

- Gitchii Miigwetch

- This was my first Sunrise ceremony - very powerful and healing experience

- Enjoyed meeting guests from other provinces

poles at top of traditional Tipi

- It was so good to laugh together. A lot of healing took place because of
this and earlier presentations.

- Young dancers and singers were inspiring to watch. Gives hope for the
future re: cultural reawakening.

- Meegwetch to the ONLC staff for organizing this great conference!

Pedobnoque (Poog) Shawbedees, ONLC staff

A brief report adapted from the
full conference evaluation

This year’s ONLC conference was held at Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario, and it was repeatedly commented by returning practitioners that this was the best conference yet. Learners and new practitioners also commented that they thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and the social activities.

Thursday, June 7

LBS 101

This session was offered in response to requests made last year by new practitioners who wanted a chance to meet other new practitioners before the main conference began and to ask questions of experienced practitioners.

This opportunity was offered mid-afternoon on the opening day of the conference, which reflected the original request, but many of the new practitioners who would have been interested in the session did not arrive in North Bay early enough for the session. Nonetheless it was an excellent idea and in the end provided a valuable opportunity for both new and experienced practitioners to discuss and share information, even if it did not reach the entire intended audience.

It was suggested that the same type of session be offered again in the future but at a slightly later time in the conference.

Book Launch - Ningwakwe Learning Press

Nancy Cooper described the project she is currently working on for the NLP: the Aboriginal Literacy Materials Assessment and Evaluation Project.

This project stems from the realization that adult literacy materials are being utilized in elementary and secondary classrooms. Therefore the aim of the project is to develop a tool for literacy practitioners and elementary and secondary school teachers to determine the comprehension level (or grade level) of the NLP’s resources.

Overall practitioners see the value of such a tool; however, it was also wondered how the Ministry’s current re-structuring might affect the outcome of this project, and if the project is therefore a bit premature. This session was followed by a social evening with NLP providing hors d’oeuvres and live music.

Friday, June 8

Opening and Keynote Address

This conference was officially opened by Ojibwe Elder Lorraine White Duck Liberty, followed by Keynote speaker Don Burnstick, a Cree motivational speaker, comedian and trained counsellor from Alexander First Nation in Alberta.

His keynote address was full of humour, and people commented throughout the duration of the conference how wonderful it was to start out on such a positive note. During his address Burnstick provided an overview of the history of Native education in Canada and its residual effects (on all people, including literacy learners and practitioners), and he validated the importance of literacy and the work done by literacy practitioners. He also highlighted the courage of adult learners who return to finish their education.

The Answer to your Burning Question…eChannel?

Michelle Eady and Linda Wright, from the Sioux Hudson Literacy Council, presented this session focusing on their experience with distance education. It is described as “good learning anywhere.”

Sioux Hudson has 200 registered learners across 17 remote First Nations communities, has developed content for 15 courses and to date has delivered over 250 classes. Some practitioners commented afterwards that prior to this session they had not seen the relevance of distance education to their programs because their learners are on-site. This session opened their eyes to the possibilities of distance education and some now plan to integrate it into their programs.

Currently, Sioux Hudson is offering mentor training sessions for practitioners on using Centra, a synchronous virtual classroom environment. Starting in the fall of 2007, they will begin distance courses on the nine essential skills for learners.

While this session was happening, Joe Jones provided traditional Teachings for the learners in a tipi located beside the lake of Canadore College.

Enter the Circle

Don Burnstick provided this team building workshop to help participants understand assertive behaviour versus aggression and passive aggression.

Using humour, this session expanded on the way that trauma of the residential school system continues to affect Native people today, and explained how it may be manifested in introverted and extroverted personalities. He also shared Teachings he learned from the Elders he has worked with, such as the four main “keys” to becoming a balanced individual: pray, share, cry and laugh. A balanced individual should be able to do each of these things and not emphasize one over the other. He explained how working externally to reach a goal will not necessarily produce positive results - one must first work on oneself internally, and the goal will come.

In talking to the learners afterwards, they felt good to be part of this session. Burnstick reminded everyone to stay focused on the learners and not get “bogged down” by administrative duties, and to address the things in our lives that make us feel out of balance.

These are just some of the topics he addressed, and it should be noted that other presenters throughout the rest of the conference incorporated some of the more serious things he said and expanded on them in their own presentations.

ONLC Annual AGM

The Ontario Native Literacy Coalition held its Annual General Meeting in conjunction with this conference.

Over the past year, the ONLC accepted the resignation of one Board Member due to health concerns, leaving 3 positions vacant. New board members were elected by the membership and the current board consists of: President – Alesia Boyer, Vice-President – Theresa Sims, Treasurer – Bryan Covey, Secretary – Katherine Shine, Director – Lynn Mooney. The AGM was followed by a barbeque.

Comedy Show

Friday evening, Don Burnstick performed some of his stand-up comedy at the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre to a full house of conference participants and community members. His excellent 'family' comedy routine had everyone laughing and was a great way to end the day.

Saturday, June 9

Sunrise Ceremony

Joe Jones facilitated a Sunrise Ceremony bright and early to start the second full day of the conference, and it was at this time that the ONLC was greatly honoured when a Native practitioner donated an Eagle feather to the organization, to unite everyone and “carry the organization to new heights”.

Thesis Presentation

After the Sunrise Ceremony, Nancy Cooper spoke to the practitioners and learners about her recently completed Masters thesis, titled 'The Transformative Nature of Culture-Based Literacy Provision in Native Literacy Programs (2006)'.

Aboriginal Literacy and Parenting Skills (A-LAPS)

Elaine Cairns and Laureen MacKenzie from the Further Education Society of Alberta presented this full day session. A-LAPS was developed in Alberta specifically for use with Aboriginal adults and will form the foundation of a new Native Family Literacy program for use by LBS programs in Ontario.

The program uses low level literacy materials to strengthen both the literacy and parenting skills of learners. It provides strategies for attracting new learners, boosting contact hours, and better meeting the needs of learners. ONLC supplied each program with a copy of the A-LAPS manual, which is an excellent resource.

The facilitators were enthusiastic and provided an opportunity for small groups to work with the manual to create an activity based on a community issue that would attract new people into the program, but which also incorporated a literacy activity once they were there. Incorporating such activities was excellent from a teaching perspective as it broke up the verbal presentation nicely, allowing participants to become actively involved in small group work with their peers.

Self-Publishing (Learners)

While the practitioners were in the full-day A-LAPS session, concurrent sessions were run for the learners. The first, titled Self-Publishing, was facilitated by Peter Fergus-Moore from the Thunder Bay Youth Indian Friendship Centre. He taught learners what self-publishing entailed and then learners had the opportunity to actually use examples of their own writing and artwork to create a book, with enough copies to take home to show everyone.

Native Craft (Learners)

Pedobnoque Shawbedees, an ONLC staff member, provided a traditional Teaching and taught the learners how to make Medicine Wheels. Afterwards, she taught them how to make beaded bracelets, and then the learners then had the opportunity to teach their practitioners how to make the bracelets.

Evening Social & Feast

A Native Gathering and Feast was hosted by the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre on Saturday evening. Following a wonderful dinner local Native adults and children provided and evening of drumming and dancing that everyone enjoyed.

Sunday, June 10

Talking Circles

On the final morning of the conference both learners and practitioners participated in evaluative Talking Circles.

Questions included: Did you enjoy the conference? Are there any issues that need to be addressed? Suggestions for topics for next year’s conference? How
should we celebrate the ONLC’S 20^th year anniversary in 2008?

The only complaint regarding the conference itself was that there was only one hour scheduled of free time in the entire weekend, and participants would have appreciated a bit more “down time”.

After time spent in small groups everyone reconvened to share what they had discussed, and then the conference was closed by Elder Lorraine White Duck Liberty.

It should also be noted that Lorraine actually stayed for the entire conference and participated in all of the sessions.

In conclusion, it must be said that a written evaluation cannot capture the positive spirit and energy that was present throughout the conference. Having attended ONLC conferences in the past, I can say that it is definitely feeling more and more like a unified Literacy Coalition.

Anyone who is interested in more information about this conference, or who wishes to receive a copy of the final report, is invited to contact the ONLC office.

Tel: 519-371-5594

Toll Free: 800-971-2255 (within Ontario only)

Fax: 519-371-5598

946 3rd Avenue East ? Commercial Unit 3
Owen Sound, ON N4K 2K9