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Powerful Higher Education Through Service Learning

News Release **************** NORTH BAY, ONT. – For the second year in a row, Canadore College students are travelling to First Nations communities in remote northern Ontario as part of a service learning initiative.

News Release

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NORTH BAY, ONT. – For the second year in a row, Canadore College students are travelling to First Nations communities in remote northern Ontario as part of a service learning initiative.

 

Six students will be visiting First Nations reserves in Ontario, including Moose Factory, nearby Moosonee and Fort Albany to work with at-risk youth. The postsecondary students will spend time in community schools to foster leadership and raise further awareness of high-risk issues such as bullying, self-harm, alcohol and drug use, and more.

 

The First Peoples’ Centre at Canadore College felt it was important for students to experience the challenges faced by many remote Indigenous communities, including extreme flooding, annual evacuations, drinking water problems, and more.

 

According to trip organizer and residence life coordinator Tom Crowhurst, one of the visit’s goals is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of First Nations culture and how life differs in remote northern Ontario.

 

“We are very fortunate to have this opportunity and to be embraced by these communities,” said Crowhurst. “Students get to connect with history and culture in a new way – in a way that can’t be done other than to experience it for themselves.”

 

Community leaders from the three reserves will be including the group in ritual practices and celebrations, and imparting traditional teachings and experiences.

 

Last year, nine students were led on the College’s first service learning trip to Moose Factory and worked in two separate schools over a five day period. This year, Canadore students will spend an extra two days and work in three different schools.

 

The trip attracted the attention of students from Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention, Mental Health and Addiction Worker, Practical Nursing, Police Foundations, Community and Justice Services and Environmental Technician programs. Students were accepted into the program after successfully completing a service learning curriculum to learn about the mission, including cultural sensitivity training, native language, fundraising techniques and understanding expectations.

 

Students will return on February 28 after working with Payukotayno: James and Hudson Bay Family Services, Project George and the Moose Factory Youth Centre.

 

For the third year in a row, an additional group of students will be headed to the Dominican Republic for another service learning trip on March 13.

 

Canadore College’s service learning initiatives are rooted in experiential learning and program learning outcomes, moving the College’s programs from theoretical exercises to hands-on, real-life applications.