Tag: social justice

SD #71’s Index of Websites by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples (M2-1)

http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/firstnat/index.htm

This page, a subpage of the B.C. School District #70 (Comox Valley) website, outlines some online resources pertaining to aboriginal education, political and historical information, as well as sites for aboriginal youth.  The site is a good starting point for researching aboriginal issues in Canada, and all links are current and functional.

Perhaps one of the most useful points for educators might be the lesson plan section.  Here, I found a project created by a team of middle school teachers from all over Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast called “Social Justice through Literature Written by Aboriginal Authors”.  In the activities and lessons that are presented here, students are encouraged to think critically about aboriginal values and history through a social justice lens.  The literature that is used in the lessons is referenced for the most part, but teachers could likely adapt the lessons to use local stories and work.

The project is designed as an extension to a document published by the B.C. Ministry of Education in 2006 called Shared Learnings, a document created in order to help facilitate the incorporation of B.C. aboriginal knowledge into the K-10 classroom.  Lessons are also laid out with direct reference to the B.C. Prescribed Learning Outcomes for Language Arts and Social Studies 6-8.  Finding this project was timely for me, as our local union embarks on the creation of a Social Justice committee.  With the relatively recent creation of the Social Justice 12 course in B.C., I believe it is imperative that middle and elementary schools follow suit.

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Module 3 Entry #1

CulturalSurvival.org

This website is the work of a group of people who believe deeply that indigenous peoples have the right to be indigenous people – on their own lands, on their own terms. Members include preeminent indigenous leaders, anthropologists, philanthropists, entrepeneurs and the team is currently led by a human rights lawyer.

The homepage includes powerful images and statistics. There are links to important news items and a sign up for the email newsletter. Other links include publications, programs and what you can do.

This site would be very helpful for any one looking for information around language and cultural  preservation.

M1-WS 1: Cultural Survival

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/

This website is dedicated to the preservation of Indigenous cultures around the globe.  On their homepage, a powerful short video encourages help from those that visit the site.  Below that window, there is an area where news and updates are posted.  There are five tabs directing the browser to their ‘Homepage, “Programs”, “Publications”, “What you can do” and “Donate Now”.  By far the most useful resource the website has for research is the publication section.  There is even a search field at the top of all pages of the website.  Over 35 years of articles on indigenous issues worldwide can be accessed on the site.  When I searched for articles on Nepal, there were nearly 100 articles for me to choose from!  There is an advanced search option that will allow a much more specific search.  I was expecting that I would be prompted to sign up for a membership to be grated access to these articles, but then I realized that it is a .org site.  Donations are optional.

M1-WS 5: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities

http://www.nfdin.gov.np/

This web site is the online presence for a Nepalese governmental organization. “The main objective of the NFDIN, is to ensure the overall welfare of the 59 enlisted indigenous nationalities who live across the country.”

The information available on the site is limited and of course specific to indigenous Nepalese nationalities.  There are several interesting articles about the current state of affairs in Nepal and some of the social injustices and human rights violations that are happening.  It is interesting to learn how the Nepalese government is doing and plans to do to help her indigenous populations.  Unfortunately some of the articles are in Nepali, and I have yet to learn that language.  It is possible to subscribe to their newsletter by sending them an email.  Hopefully (for me) it is in English.

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