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Camp Fircom is one of my favourite places in the world, so having the opportunity to volunteer with a society that is close to my heart and personal history had my week beginning with a deep sense of purpose and positivity. Having met with Abbie, our contact in the Fircom office, a few times before our practicum was set to begin, both Haley and I had a vague idea of what would be in store for us: the reworking of the marketing materials for Fircom’s Outdoor School to appeal to teachers and make the camp stand out from other local outdoor school programs that are successful. What’s unique about Fircom? What could students potentially get out a program there that might be lacking in a program elsewhere? After a little bit of sleuthing into the various other programs offered around Vancouver, I knew instantly what had to be done: the weaving in of First Peoples ways of knowing and learning into not only the curriculum of the outdoor school, but also into camp culture.
One of the biggest hurdles that teachers need to clear in the new BC curriculum is the addition of aboriginal content, and for many complex and nuanced reasons. Lack of access to authentic resources, fear of playing into cultural appropriation and pan-Indianism, and teacher ignorance of the First Peoples and their cultures all contribute to an air of anxiety surrounding this aspect of the new curriculum. Professional development hasn’t been speedy enough for many experienced teachers to feel comfortable with it, but what I hope to help people realize is that the incorporation of the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) into what is already happening in the classroom can be quite simple and straight forward. Haley and I, therefore, took it upon ourselves in week one to weave our knowledge of the FPPL into the marketing materials for the Fircom outdoor school so that teachers can be confident that their students’ experience at camp will be steeped in it, and teachers will be able to report on it.
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Our first week ended with a day trip to camp, and boy was I feeling nostalgic! Fircom is progressive, inclusive, and is committed to social justice, all of which appeal to my personal and teaching philosophies, and I was brought right back to my teens where those concepts took root. If I, a woman in her thirties, can remain that connected to a place like Fircom after having not visited for over 15 years, then it’s possible for me to help students have an experience that they will remember forever.
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I look forward to spending more time at camp, and planning and executing the programming for an upcoming school group. On to week two!
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