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Culture and education geared for social work students
 Students, elders and staff and guest enjoyed an evening of music provided by Ralph Opikikew, Gordon Ratt and Danny Musqua at Youth Haven June 19 . |
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First Nations University
(FNU) Indian Social
Work students spent 10
days immersed in First
Nations culture during the
annual culture camp, held
June 14 to 23 at the Lac
La Ronge Indian Band’s
(LLRIB) Youth Haven on
Bigstone Lake.
Throughout the week
students engaged in cultural
ceremonies, arts and
crafts, personal reflection,
elder teachings, activities
such as traditional food
preparation, net fishing,
nature walks and an evening
of music.
During the arts and
crafts time the students
created traditional moosehide
moccasins with beading
and moss bags, which
were used to wrap small
babies.
Children also formed
a large part of the camp
accompanying their families;
a childcare worker
was on hand to assist with
care of the children.
The culture program
is an opportunity for students
to re-affirm their
identity as First Nations
people and is a “crucial
component” to training for
future work in the community;
the camp is held in a
different community each
year. Last year’s camp was
held on Lucky Man First
Nation, said Joseph Anderson,
assistant professor
with the FNU Faculty of
Social Work.
The objectives of the
culture camp program
include providing students
with opportunities
to increase First Nations
culture and lifestyle experience
with First Nations
elders and resource people,
enhancing the values
by living in a natural environment
setting, learning
through ceremonies and
traditional oral teaching
and gaining experience
skills through participation
in planning, organizing
and implementation
and evaluation of the camp
experience.
FNU’s Indian Social
Work is a four-year program
is a 30-year program,
which “focuses on
a rich integration of First
Nation philosophy in its
cultural world view. At
the very heart of the program
is the 10-day cultural
camp experience in which
the students spent time
with the elders and it’s
basically an experiential
approach so the students
get a hands on experience
to observed oral history
and many teachings based
on their customs and traditions,”
Anderson said.
Under the program,
students participate in two
four-month learning experiences
- the first focuses
on programming, what
services are offered by different
agencies and how to
access those services.
“They (the students) are
given a chance to network
with social workers in the
fi eld, with professionals,”
Anderson said.
The second practicum
offers an opportunity to
get a hands-on experience
of various aspects of therapeutic
counseling.
Social challenges in
communities bring challenges
to social workers,
Anderson said, adding
“our program has been
successful in many areas
in preparing students with
a strong social integration
of First Nations perspectives
and western world
view; most social work
programs are based on the
main stream, often generalized
teaching where our
program is specific to First
Nations.”
The opportunities to
integrate a variety of approaches
and methods into
the program make it exciting,
Anderson said.
“Many approaches and
methods are coming to
light where what our elders
have been saying are indeed
valid, he said, speaking
of the affects of the
residential school system
where parents didn’t have
a choice about sending
their children away. Also,
what’s become known as
the 50’s Scoop, the adoption
of children out of their
communities.
“Today we are seeing
the impact of the residential
school trauma … colonization
is a major part of
our on-going efforts to
retain who we are as First
Nations people.”
Anderson expressed
his appreciation to the Lac
La Ronge Indian Band for
the support in sharing the
camp, elders, knowledge
and local customs and
practices.
“Their elders take a
major role in our culture
camp,” he said.
The FNU program offers
hope for the future,
Anderson said.
“The beauty of our program
it reinvigorates. All
things are possible and
that includes the health
and well being of our
children.”
Elders for the event
were: Sally Milne, Gordon
Ratt, Albert Ross.
Danny Musqua, elder
in residence and lecturer
for the FNU was also on
hand for the event.
Valerie G. Barnes-Connell
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