Where it all BeganCORE Action Kit
After learning about the Indian Act, Indian Residential Schools, the 60's Scoop and doing our own research about the state of reserves in Ontario today our class brainstormed ways we could create social change and make a difference for First Nations Peoples living in Canada.
We wanted our ideas to be practical and attainable, but also to reach as wide and broad an audience as possible. After watching the KONY 2012 video we decided to create our own action kits. They include posters we designed on the computer and silk screened. Some students worked on making stickers which were stamped from a lino block and printed on sticker paper obtained for free from the Creative Zone. Students also made bracelets from leather samples branded with the CORE name and logo, flyers were designed and printed at the school detailing the poor and inequitable living conditions and state of education and healthcare on many reserves in Canada, and a reusable cloth bag was sewn and printed to store all the giveaways that would help make people aware of the need for a change. |
Social Justice in ActionThe first Social Justice Action we wanted to take was to donate our unneeded resources. The Grade 6 year will be moving to the local middle school next fall. We wrote a letter to our Superintendent, Ms. Mason, explaining our project and describing our idea, and asked her if we could donate all of our Grade Six resources to a reserve school in need. She came to visit us and hear about our project. Ms. Mason completely supported our idea, and we will be giving our resources to Christian Island Elementary School this June!
We have also made action kits for the grade 5 and 6 students in our neighbouring elementary schools and will present our project and distribute the action kits on June 13th, a day when our three schools will join together to partake in teambuilding activities. Also on June 13th, all three schools will be taking part in ‘Our Dreams Matter Too’ A walk for culturally based equity for First Nations Children. First Nations children get less funding for services like education, health and child welfare than all other children enjoy. This makes it hard for First Nations children to achieve their dreams and grow up proud of who they are. This walk is to show how many people support First Nations children receiving the same opportunity to succeed as all other children in ways that respect their cultures and languages. The walk culminates with all 300 students mailing letters they have written to the government to help support First Nations Children. |