Taking Family Literacy to the Garden
With the weather changing and signs of summer on the horizon, my family is excited to be out in our gardens. My husband and I both grew up growing food on our family farms, and love sharing this with our children. At two and four years old, they are already skilled at planting seeds, watering, pulling carrots from the soil and, of course, finding all of the ripest raspberries before we get any! Gardening teaches many lessons, such as how plants grow, how to care for something and how important patience is. Gardening is always teaching us new things. As soon as…
Time to be in the bush
Now is the time to be on the land. Connection to nature is one of the ways we heal, and we are excited to be out with family and friends (while practicing physical distancing, of course). The land is a teacher, a provider, and a sanctuary. What the land teaches us Reconnecting with nature reminds us of where we came from, and what we need to survive on the most basic level – air, water, food, shelter, sanitation, touch, and sleep. Most of us who are reading this are privileged enough to attain these things easily. Spending time on the land gives us a…
Camping Without Leaving Home
With the long weekend passed, many of us were left wishing we could go camping as we have so often in the past. Unfortunately, with the parks closed it is not as easy (as if getting the family organized and out to a park was ever ‘easy’) as it used to be to get out and enjoy the outdoors. However, we can still enjoy some of the staples of the camping experience without ever leaving the house! There are three main areas to focus on to recreate a camping experience at home. The first is to create an environment that feels like a special experience for everyone…
Defuse Conflict and Improve Your Relationships
My first introduction to nonviolent communication (NVC) was in Mexico City, just after finishing my undergraduate studies in peace and conflict. During my time living in the capital and working on issues of urban peace, I was immediately captivated by the theories and strategies that nonviolent communication provided. During a training I attended, we learned the power of these tools to effectively navigate difficult situations. Since then NVC has been on my radar as a new skillset to develop, and I awaited a new opportunity to attend another training. That…
Motivational Struggles during COVID-19
We are currently living in unprecedented times, with everyone experiencing some disruption to their daily lives. As a result of COVID-19, many of us have been remanded to our homes for the vast majority of our time in accordance with physical distancing guidelines. With so much free time being created in the wake of physical distancing, there have been many excellent resources, activities and projects being shared around the world. These activities help people keep busy and somewhat distracted from the pandemic affecting our world. For the most part, these are…
Screen time guilt during a pandemic
It’s been over a month since most of us have been working from home. On top of that, many families have children at home from school and university doing online schooling or learning. We at the Literacy Council are staying at home and doing our part, a lot of which includes screen time. During the weekdays I’m usually on my laptop working on reports, doing video meetings with coworkers, and creating new resources. In my free time I try to get outside and do something active each day. I’ve been baking a lot more than usual, getting into some arts and crafts,…
Three Reasons You Need Ceremony
You are currently suspended in time The world is going through a viral pandemic, and every day still feels surreal. You may feel lost. Ceremony can help you move through changes, challenges, time and space. Ceremony is the act of ritual for a greater purpose. It can include thoughts, words, actions, or objects, and can be conducted alone or with others. It is a way for us to communicate with each other, the energy that connects everything, and ourselves. Whether you consider yourself spiritual or not, you need ceremony. Your body will thank you As…
We’re Celebrating NWT Literacy Week a Little Differently
We have been asked for several years to change NWT Literacy Week from September as this is a very busy time in many NWT communities. Earlier this year, we decided to host NWT Literacy Week during the third week of April each year. NWT Literacy Week 2020 will take place April 19-25. This year’s theme is “Celebrating 30 Years of the NWT Literacy Council”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing measures, we are all going to have to celebrate a little differently this year. We won’t be able to host Family Literacy Nights or have Elder story times.…
Four ways to learn something new from home
With the COVID-19 outbreak most of us are spending a lot more time at home than we usually do. With social gatherings, events and activities all cancelled for now, we have a lot more free time on our hands. So why not try a new hobby or learn something new? Here are a few resources: Yoga Native Strength Revolution’s goal is to create a new generation of Indigenous healers through leadership training and yoga certification. This creates a platform for relationships and collaboration with Indigenous communities and organizations to educate, elevate and…
Oral Health Across the Generations
It’s the 1930s in Holland and your mother is taking you and your three siblings for an appointment. You watch as she runs her finger along the family coat closet, pulls out the oldest coat she owns and puts it on. This is the coat she wears when she must take the children to the dentist. It is the first tactic in her end game of whittling down the fees from the dentist appointment that day, without sacrificing the needed visit for her children. That is a story of Grandma, my Oma, when her mother—my great-grandmother—would take her to the dentist. After…
Our Ever Awesome NWT Brushing Song Bloggy Blog by Richard Van Camp
Our Ever Awesome NWT Brushing Song Had anyone ever told me when I was running laps at JBT in grades 4,5, and 6 back in the 70’s in Fort Smith, NWT, that I’d hold my 25th book in that same gymnasium at the tender age of 48 as a father, a husband, a son and a brother and had someone told me that my 25th book would be illustrated by a Hay River artist named Neiva Mateus and that our book would be translated into all 11 of our official languages in the NWT, I would not have believed them, but there I was…
Practicing Family Literacy during Social Distancing
With all NWT schools closed until April 14, families are thinking about the many days at home and how to pass the time together. This time of social distancing is a great opportunity to do some special family literacy activities at home. My family took time this weekend to make a list of all of the things we would like to do together during this time. It was fun to do this together as a family and hear all of the things that each person thought would be fun or important to do. I have included some of my family’s ideas here, as well as others found online or…
An Australian up north by Leesa Myers
I was approved for a Canadian Working Visa in late 2019. I didn’t know anyone in Canada so didn’t have a destination in mind. I opened Google maps, scrolled towards the north and liked the sound of Yellowknife, so I booked a flight. I was aware that there would be some major differences. Leaving an Australian summer to enter a Canadian winter was going to be interesting. I was prepared for cold weather. I wasn’t prepared for a language barrier. The first time I was asked what pop I would like when having lunch, I had no idea what they were referring to. My…
Thirty Years of Friends of Literacy
April 2020 marks 30 years since the NWT Literacy Council was created. We are excited to celebrate with you all year long, starting with NWT Literacy Week from April 19 to April 25. We have several events, contests, and ways to share memories planned for the whole year. Please join us in celebrating the hard work of NWT residents in increasing the profile of literacy as well as increasing their own literacy skills over the last 30 years. Many people have shaped the work of the NWT Literacy Council since 1990. Even more have promoted literacy in their community…
Mikiyumik kangiqsiyunga Inuvialuktun by Nikita Larter
Uvanga atira kivvaq. Sallirmiut inuuvialuuyunga. Ilatka tuktuuyaqtuumin qaimayuat. Chicagomi inuuniaqtunga. Aniyuami iniruqlungalu Nunatchiami. My name is Nikita. I am a Sallirmiut Inuvialuk. My family is from Tuktuyaaqtuuq. I live in Chicago now, but I was born and raised in the Northwest Territories. I can only speak English, but my goal is to become fluent in Sallirmiutun, my native language. I started the journey to learn Sallirmiutun three years ago in the final year of my undergrad. All throughout university, I was probed by fellow students…