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SCHOOL BASED PROJECTS

ABORIGINAL CULTURAL LEADERSHIP COURSE

FIRST NATIONS CULTURAL LEADERSHIP COURSE

The Aboriginal Cultural Leadership course was developed and piloted in three TVDSB secondary schools between September 2007 and June 2008. The course is a combination of two Ontario credits: GPP3, which is a leadership course, generally for students in grade 11; and GLS1, which is a learning skills course, generally for students in grade 9. Curriculum topics include communication, goal-setting and planning, healthy decision-making, and personal awareness, while offering students the opportunity to learn together within a community circle setting during each class. As part of their evaluation, students are assigned role-play and video project assignments for which they write and present scenarios portraying issues faced by Aboriginal youth to a group of their peers. Upon successful completion of the course, students received a credit for either the Grade 9 Learning Strategies Course or the Grade 11 Leadership Course (in Ontario – can be modified to meet other provincial or territorial curriculum expectations).

The course provides opportunities for the two levels to work together by including a peer mentoring component, pairing younger students with senior students and encouraging them to work together. The program provides students the opportunity to learn together within a community circle setting during each class. This course gives students an opportunity to participate in a number of cultural activities such as mask and drum-making, and allowed them to assume the roles of student leaders and volunteers for Aboriginal initiatives outside their school such as the Fourth R Peer Mentoring Program for Aboriginal Youth Mentor Training Day and two Grade 8 Aboriginal Transition Conferences.
The course is divided into four units: All about Me, School and Community, Leadership and Learning Opportunities.

Students enrolled in the Fourth R Aboriginal Stacked Course commented on what they learned and what they would tell future mentors:

“I learned a lot of leadership skills when being in this class. This class motivates me more when coming to school and facing problems. I learned to respect others more because you never know what is on their mind. To take consideration on what I’m doing because there is always someone watching. I would recommend this class to everyone that is coming to high school because it is the first class in the morning and it is chilling and is good for the people that get up early every morning. It teaches you to be a mentor right in the morning so you can show some leadership skills all day.”

“I would tell future mentors that in order to make this a fun class, you can’t be shy or always sitting in a corner. You have to speak what you want to say, show your feelings and talk to everyone in class. Being a role model to the younger youth is fun because they look up to you and expect you to be their guide when they need you.”

“Treat this very seriously, even if the person you’re mentoring is your friend, you must do everything you can and teach what you think would be helpful to them. It’s their future that you’re helping so don’t think it’s a joke because it won’t have good results in the end.”

Training has been provided for teachers from several different school boards throughout Ontario who will be implementing the program starting in the 2009-10 school year. Please see Curriculum Resources for further information.