Growing Together

Systemic challenges, such as limited access to resources and barriers to transportation and childcare, make navigating educational systems challenging for many Indigenous families.

It can be next to impossible for families dealing with intergenerational trauma. There is a clear need for culturally inclusive spaces where families can share their experiences, build trust, and co-create strategies for success in ways that honour Indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions.

Serving more than 20,000 students, Saskatchewan’s largest Catholic school division is stepping in to break down the barriers Indigenous families face in being able to support their children’s educational success. The legacy of residential schools has profoundly disrupted traditional learning practices and contributed to disparities in Indigenous literacy and numeracy. So, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) is introducing Growing Together: Indigenous Family Literacy and Numeracy Initiative (IFLNI). This program will engage approximately 12 parents and caregivers from St. Francis, St. Michael, and St. Mary schools through four annual gatherings. These culturally grounded spaces will welcome families to come together and share experiences, build relationships, and develop practical strategies to support their children’s learning. 

The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) is providing support to help get this new initiative off the ground. By integrating culture, language, and ceremony into literacy and numeracy education, the IRF’s contribution will ensure the initiative not only promotes educational achievement but also helps empower Indigenous families as partners in their children’s learning.

Diocese of Saskatoon in funding partnership with the Diocese of Hamilton