October 2023 Co-Curricular Newsletter

Co-Curricular Making: Honouring Indigenous Connections
to Land, Culture and the Relational Self | October 2023

Way' SSHRC Project Educators, Community Partners, Research Partners, and Research Assistants,

It was wonderful to see many of you online earlier this month as we had the opportunity to learn with Kelly Terbasket from IndigenEYEZ and reflect on our experience at the water ceremony. We look forward to seeing you again on November 15 as we explore what you are noticing in your classroom as the "co" shows up.

We also wanted to let you know about the 2023-2024 Project Funding for Classrooms for educators to support classrooms in advancing reconciliation. The funds can be used to support educators (and their students) to deepen and enlarge their understandings of Syilx culture with teachings that connect land, culture and understandings of self in the world. Participating SSHRC Educators (individuals or teams) can request up to $500 to fill small resource gaps. Educators who receive the funds will share their project at the Forum.

If you have any questions or feedback we would love to hear from you.

Sincerely,
SSHRC Facilitation Team

Upcoming Experiences with the Co-curricular Making Project

Unlearning/Learning: Needed Modes of Being in Support of Vulnerable Learning Terrain (online). Join Kelly Terbasket, IndigenEYEZ, to enlarge and deepen understandings through Indigenous-led experiences designed to inform curricular practices across disciplines and interests of all kinds.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83726201648

Meeting ID: 837 2620 1648

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 4 - 5pm
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 4 - 5pm
Wednesday, February 14, 2024 4 - 5pm

Working the Ideas Forum Wednesday, May 1, 9 am-4 pm (Laurel Packing House, Kelowna). Educators will be invited to share and learn through varied co-curricular-making experiences. Sharing our diverse experiences in community will be an opportunity to co-reflect and create across disciplines and interests as catalysts for continued efforts. We envision an opening and closing learning experience with local Syilx Elders, our community partners, and Canada Research Chairs. There will be TTOCs availible. Please use the following form to express interest in the forum.

Syilx Language

sk̕əlwistən | time of the red salmon October 14 - November 12 on the Syilx Okanagan Moon Calendar.

Did you know that "in October 2022, the ONA was able to successfully collect and fertilize 5,317,540 million Sockeye eggs! This is a record egg take. The previous record was in 2016, when 5.2 million eggs were collected. In addition, one female Chinook was spawned, producing 4,342 eggs" (Spirit Bear Moon Calendar).

See the ta’tupa Spirit Bear Moon Calendar on the Okanagan Nation Alliance Resource Page

Food for Thought and Action

Learning a Language: Nsyilxcən for Everyone | Hosted by Kelowna Museums. All levels: Sept, Nov, Dec | A 4-week language course led by Knowledge Keepers and Elders of the Syilx nation. Next session starts November 14, 2023.

Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob | Hosted by Kelowna Art Gallery. October 14, 2023 - February 18, 2024. This exhibition offers a personal encounter with one of the leading carvers of British Columbia’s Northwest Coast.

Join kinSHIFT for their online workshop Elements of Truth, an Indigenous-led series that helps settlers develop skills for building better relations with Indigenous peoples. Not only are these workshops powerful—the proceeds are used to fund Indigenous community empowerment programs through IndigenEYEZ. Elements of Truth provides a welcoming space to engage in challenging conversations, self-reflect and transform how we think, feel, relate and act.

Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC travelling exhibition is now at the Museum and Archives of Vernon, 3009 32nd Ave. The exhibit will have an official opening on November 9 featuring Dr. Bill Cohen as a guest speaker. Dr. Cohen will be offering a welcome and opening speech, and drinks and light snacks will be served. You can reserve your seat online.

Play with Clay & Learn About Traditional Plants | Hosted by the Sncewips Heritage Museum. January 2024. Brief art lesson on how to create sculpture with clay by syilx artist Coralee Miller. Learn about traditional plants and their uses while you sculpt one of our traditional plants!

Shared Resources from our Colleagues at the University of Ottawa | Shared by the Faculty of Education at UOttawa. As part of the commitment the teacher education program has been providing training to teacher candidates on Project of Heart and the Caring Society’s Spirit Bear Resources.

For more information about our community partners please visit their sites: Okanagan Nation Alliance, IndigenEYEZ, Kelowna Art Gallery, and Kelowna Museums. Do you have an event that you would like to share? Please email the SSHRC PG facilitation team.

Co-Curricular Making Resources

The purpose of these curricular resources is to deepen local understanding of all who visit, and to enhance educators’ knowledge and capacities toward curricular unlearning (decolonization) and Indigenization. All materials and resources included on this site are publicly available.

Co-Curricular Resource Site

Meet our Research Assistants (RAs)

Each of our Research Assistants brings their own knowledge to our co-curricular making. We could not do this without their conviction, their knowledge, or their skills. To learn more about the RAs, click here:

Meet the RAs

You are receiving this email because of your participation with the Co-Curricular Making: Honouring Indigenous Connections to Land, Culture and the Relational Self Project.