Elder Mildred Moar, President Trimbee PS Gary Anandasangaree, Angeline Nelson, Aandeg Muldrew, Sherri Denysuik, Indigenous Education Lead for Seven Oaks School Division, Doris Young, Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Affairs, University College of the North
The University of Winnipeg will receive $138,769 for community language programs and online language resources for the The Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre and the Summer Institute for Six Seasons of the Asiniskow Ithiniwak Project, thanks to funding provided by the Aboriginal Languages Initiative (ALI). This money is part of the $1.8 million announcement made today at UWinnipeg by Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, on behalf of the Honourable Pablo Rodríguez.
“The Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre is appreciative to the many funders who help us to provide opportunities every year for community to learn Indigenous languages and play a role in the revitalization of the original languages of this land,” said Angeline Nelson, Director, Community Learning & Engagement, Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre.
The Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre is a community partnership initiative that looks to build university-bound identities for inner-city youth through educational programs rooted in Indigenous language and culture. It is designed to reflect our neighbors’ needs for an educational gathering place that is inclusive and accessible.
The Six Seasons of the Asiniskow Ithiniwak is a collaborative project that involves numerous partners from Rocky Cree communities, universities, educational organizations, museums, schools, and business, including the English Department’s Dr. Mavis Reimer as Project Director and Dr. Doris Wolf as Curriculum Team leader.
The Aboriginal Languages Initiative funding, will be over two years to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages in Manitoba. It will support 16 community-based projects such as language camps, classes, nests and master-apprentices programs offered to Indigenous communities in Manitoba. These projects will also allow the production and distribution of language resources including web based applications, archived material, books, CDs, dictionaries, DVDs, lesson plans, lexicons, magazines and workbooks. They will benefit seven languages: Blackfoot, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Michif, Nakota, and Ojibwe.
