‘Investing in education is investing in people’: Chief Day
SERPENT RIVER FN –Chief and Council of Serpent River First Nation were proud once again to acknowledge all of the 2013 graduates from Day Care to Post Secondary at their annual education awards event in June.
“When we can celebrate over 100 students and their steps forward into a future with ‘higher learning’, we celebrate a million possibilities for future success,” says Chief Isadore Day of Serpent River First Nation. “Those that have achieved a greater capacity of knowledge are leaders and as such, give us all hope for a brighter future in our First Nations – there is no other way of looking at this. Their efforts have made us a stronger community.”
“First Nation leaders are generally on the same page when it comes to education,” says Chief Day. “They all agree that investing in education is investing in their people. There are serious concerns however about how much and how fast resources get into the communities and to their student-citizens. Some argue that the federal and provincial government must come up with better plans that directly deal with things like capital investment for on-reserve schools, language programs and post-secondary education. Some communities have had success over the years with current resources while a vast majority of other First Nations fail under the current government policy and approach to ‘Aboriginal’ education.”
“We are First Nations with a clear responsibility to determine our own future,” says Chief Day. “The approach that Canada and Ontario are taking to deal with First Nation education in the pan-Aboriginal sense, where we are all lumped into to a melting pot of broad interests, does not make sense; especially in light of the fact that the Crown entered into treaties with specific ‘Nations’ on this land. This means that legally, in the Spirit and Intent of these treaties and in Upholding the Honor of the Crown; governments must go all the way in respecting specific negotiations with First Nations on issues like specific needs and equitable education investments in that treaty territory.”
The Serpent River First Nation, like many other First Nation communities, is preparing to step up their efforts to address some very tough issues like funding cuts and a growing demand on post secondary programming. Leaders in First Nations across Canada have been consistent on their views regarding a number education issues and demands. These are views that come directly from their citizens who say their challenges are not being addressed with the way government investment is structured or delivered. Losing indigenous languages is just one example where government commitments are not in place to eradicate the problem.
“Where we can, we as a First Nation are going to invest in our people and we will strategically align ourselves with partners that have the same values and want to invest as well. We will begin this work by going out to our people to find out modern perspectives and concerns about education from ‘early learning’ in Daycare programming through Kindergarten – grade 12, to post-secondary, to continuing education and Seniors programming. We must make our unique place known on education in this country. It is not to become part of someone else’s programming; rather we must restore jurisdiction and full control of those policies and the resources used for educating our people. Where our people take part in the mainstream systems, we must ensure that the design of programming extends a greater effort to recognize the indigenous identity and the right to First Nation language programming,” says Day.
The chief says that he has been working with his senior officials to prepare for a motion to his Council that takes bold steps to securing the community’s future on education. This will include community strategies that define the many types of investments to be looked at from all parties in government, First Nations, parents, school boards, and the students themselves. One such strategy being prepared for proposal submission is an annual savings plan program where investments from a number of partners are pooled into a community program that will help build and sustain greater success in Post-Secondary programming.
“Our community has so much potential to acquire higher education and re-invest that back into a greater ‘Quality of Life’ whether living here at home, elsewhere in the country or abroad. We want to find clear paths and strategies to make that happen. We look forward to talking to our citizens about this and taking action in months to come so that we can come up with the right plan that will ensure strong and modernized education policies that work for our community.”
Serpent River First Nation leaders and strategic planning staff will be reaching out to their citizens by hosting meetings in the community and larger centers like Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto in August and September of this year to discuss current and critical issues on education and Nation Building.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Chief Isadore Day, Wiindawtegowinini
705-844-2418
705-261-1865