Reconciliation fund opens doors
Approaching the sixth annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, a widely expressed sentiment in recent years about how to foster better bonds between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians is the importance of providing meaningful pathways to education.
An organization making a tangible difference for northern First Nations learners is Gakino’amaage: Teach For Canada. Gakino’amaage is Anishinaabemowin for “one who teaches.” The name also commends the reciprocity of teaching: a teacher learns as much from their students as they teach them.
Grant money from the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) established by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) further empowers Gakino’amaage in its mission to dismantle educational barriers for rural students by recruiting, equipping, supporting and retaining teachers across 34 First Nation communities in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
