Learning is a lifelong commitment that goes beyond the classroom. For Indigenous Peoples, curating knowledge about the land and culture is equally as important as math or science. However, many First Nation schools struggle to provide access to land-based learning due to funding restrictions.

The first word a child utters defines who they are, where they have come from, and the culture they are born into. Nêhiyawêwin is the language spoken by the Nêhiyawak (Cree) people, the largest Indigenous group in Canada. For generations, Nêhiyawak culture and traditions have been deeply interwoven with its language, which has struggled to survive due to the impacts of colonization.

For many Indigenous Peoples living in urban centres, it is difficult to find spaces and groups to feel safe and comfortable sharing lived experiences and trauma. This is especially true for residential school survivors who carry scars from the abuse they endured in these institutions. Those living in cities often face feelings of increased disconnect and additional barriers to health care, education, and employment, along with limited financial resources and support systems.

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.

Despite Canada’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, many newcomers to the country, as well as ethnocultural communities, continue to have limited exposure to the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples. This gap is especially visible in urban centres where Indigenous Peoples and newcomers often live side-by-side yet remain socially and culturally disconnected. Without meaningful opportunities for learning and relationship-building, reconciliation efforts remain abstract.

No student should be denied educational opportunities due to financial or systemic barriers. Yet Indigenous children, like the Oskāyak students in Saskatchewan, are intimately familiar with missing out on opportunities that require travel. Reduced access to affordable airfare, accommodation, and basic travel necessities have left Indigenous students excluded from transformational learning experiences.

Guiding young Indigenous Peoples to develop skills tied to their traditional culture through hands-on learning is the oldest form of knowledge sharing in Indigenous communities. Whether through storytelling or practical guidance, it builds bonds between the youngest and eldest and fosters pride in one’s community. This is how communities keep ancient traditions alive and instill sacred teachings in the next generation.

For generations, the people of Frog Lake First Nation in Alberta have carried their history, language, and teachings through stories that have been spoken, sung, and shared around fires and in family homes. Today, like many other Indigenous communities, that ancient and sacred knowledge is at risk of being lost forever. As many Elders age, Frog Lake’s history is disappearing with them.

The experiences and stories shared by Canadian residential school survivors are what paved the way to “reconciliation” as we know it today. More than four million records, including statements, documents, oral histories and sacred items have been entrusted to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), with millions more still to come. This irreplaceable collection contains records of survivors’ most painful moments, and it gives witness to the stories of those who did not survive. And yet, this vital collection is scattered across the country.

For nearly two centuries, St. Laurent in Manitoba has woven the foundation of its identity together through Catholic faith and Métis heritage. This community, long established in the region, is sacred to its people. However, like many communities today, its traditional stories, teachings and spaces where people have gathered for prayer and cultural expression, are at risk of fading. Without preservation these ties risk being weakened, further disconnecting Métis youth from their heritage.