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Map of Ontario
Fort Hope boxed in blackThe more I travel, the more I seem to learn the same lesson over and over again - all of the experiences that I gain contribute to an ever expanding learning processes about the injustices and inner workings of the world that we live in today. By no means an idealistic attempt at changing the world, the experiences I have chosen to involve myself in have guided me on a path to a greater understanding about what it means to live in the 21st century around the world and the history that has shaped the world we find ourselves in today. Currently, I have the good fortune to be employed within my own country by a reputable, non-profit literacy organization by the name of Frontier College. Since 1899, Frontier College has engaged itself in literacy teachings for marginalized Canadian populations whether it was early migrant workers or today’s urban youth. I am currently employed with their Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camp, working as a camp counsellor with a five person team in Fort Hope, or Eabametoong, a relatively isolated First Nations reserve in Northern Ontario.
The purpose of the camp is simple - provide the children of Fort Hope an opportunity
A view from the air...
While vision was poor most of the flight from Thunder Bay, on our way to landing I caught a glimpse of the landscape below... to attend a free summer camp that is focused on issues of literacy in order to encourage and promote reading and writing within the youth of the community. The program is currently in its 4th year of operation and is present in almost 40 communities across Northern Ontario. Within Fort Hope, the camp appears to have a solid reputation, which my team and I quickly discovered as within our first full day in the community, we had filled up our all of our registration spots!
As I settle in to my new home, begin to orient myself with the 1,400 person community, and grow more comfortable with my teammates - which include two other counsellors from Southern Ontario and two counsellors from Fort Hope - I have quickly come to realize how little I know of the side of Canadian history that details the lives and experiences of First Nations people. While I began to recognize a few months ago with my acceptance into this program that very little, in fact all, of my education had omitted knowledge about the history and circumstances in which First Nations peoples had been treated within the official country of Canada, I did
Arriving in Fort Hope
Little more then an airstrip and a small building housing an airline rep, we were welcomed to Fort Hope off our 9 seater plane (don't forget to GYOB -- grab your own bag!) not realize what this meant for my own understanding of Canadian history and what it means to be Canadian.
This realization comes not only from being surrounded by a place in which it is hard not to ask questions of “why”, but also through beginning to take an interest in reading about the issues that surround First Nations populations today. The more I come to learn, the more I think that the only place to start this story is with a glimpse into the sordid history of residential schools. Having only had my eyes opened to this aspect of Canadian history recently, I must admit I feel ashamed at my own ignorance of such an important issue.
Commencing in 1879, just over a decade after confederation, the Canadian government saw fit to undergo a process of “aggressive assimilation” in order to educate the country’s aboriginal people and in essence, have them mainstreamed into European-Canadian life. It was felt that children were easier to mold in this fashion then adults, and thus children were removed from their homes and placed into a type of boarding school, whose funding came from the government and whose principles were lead by those
Our house -- or "teacherage"
The blue teacherage -- and you can see the school behind it to the right. of the Church. The idea behind these schools was to essentially uproot children from their heritage, their culture, and their language in order to assimilate them into Canadian society, an act deplorable enough without even adding the inhumane treatment that many children faced while in these schools. These institutions became known as residential schools and the last one only closed in 1996. Despite the notoriously short span of human memory, even I can still recall 1996 - it was not that long ago.
The result of uprooting generations of First Nations children and youth can be seen in its impact on First Nations culture, family life, individual psyche’s, and the legacy of education. Thus, when faced with a typical stereotype of First Nations people that I have heard when stating where I was going this summer - “gas sniffers”, “alcoholics”, “uneducated” - I found myself asking “why is this the case” and have found that asking this question is the only logical step to understanding these issues. The legacy of residential schools lives fully in a darker side of Canadian society that too many of us choose to ignore, whether we are aware of these issues or not. On
June 11, 2008, Stephen Harper made a formal apology to the First Nations people who suffered through the travesty of residential schools - “The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history. Today we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country” (Stephen Harper). This was thought to mark a promising step forward in aboriginal issues and racial harmony in Canada, however as an article in last months Wawatay News states, one year later, not much has changed. “Even as residential schools closed, life for First Nations students going to school on reserves hasn’t substantially improved in many cases” - a situation which is exasperated through underfunding, lack of accessibility to higher grades, and enormously high drop out rates. Despite this legacy, I quickly realized through enthusiastic Canada Day celebrations here in Fort Hope that there is a sense of pride felt in belonging to this nation, mixed with the undercurrents of a tumultuous past. I by no means am an expert on this issue as I am only beginning to learn about it myself, but I felt as if this is an
important piece of history to lay out at the beginning of this journey.
This being said, I am not here as a historian, nor a journalist, but rather I am here to do something I love - work with children, the only individuals who seem to remain constant around the world. Anywhere you go, children are children - open, innocent, curious, and above all, looking to make friends. I find this incredibly comforting, and Fort Hope has not disappointed. Already, we have been approached by a number of kids and youth, expressing interest in us and the camp that we are here to run. Tomorrow (Monday) will be our first day of camp, and after a solid orientation in Thunder Bay and nearly a week of settling in and planning, I think I am ready. One of the beautiful things about Frontier College’s program is the freedom they allow their staff in planning and implementing the camp, keeping in mind of course, the literacy aspect. I find myself working with a creative and motivated team, who all bring different experiences and knowledge to the table, an asset when it comes to planning an educational camp for kids ages 5
- 14! We have chosen to divide the camp into two sessions - morning and afternoon, with the younger kids in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon, all with semi-separate and age appropriate planning. Needless to say, it is a lot of work!
While I am up here, I am also hoping to engage some of the kids in a community mapping project. With the help of a previous Fort Hope camp counsellor and the encouragement of my Dad, I secured a loan of GPS receivers from my Dad’s company, TopCon Positioning Systems, to give the kids a chance to learn how to make maps using GPS technology. I am hoping to incorporate this into lessons on geography and mapping during camp hours and then having those kids that are interested sign up for an extracurricular mapping activity which will involve brainstorming the most important places for kids and youth in Fort Hope, with the end result being a map of the community through the eyes of the children. There are a lot of ways to make this fun and interactive and I can’t wait to see what the response is. More to come as we
Fishing Derby
This took place last night down at the docks -- it was pretty informal, we looked pretty goofy hanging around with no fish. Next time! get our extracurricular planning under way.
Already, I am finding it easy to become involved in the community, partially because it is so small that if you have a radio and talk to people, you will always know what’s going on and partially because people are friendly and welcome us to community events. Our first day here was Canada Day, which we kicked off by hosting a radio show to let people know we were beginning registration, which we followed by setting up a registration table during the afternoon holiday festivities. A firework show ensued, which despite the frighteningly close proximity of the show to the buildings, I thoroughly enjoyed. I remember at one point, while basking in the exploding glow of the fireworks, a young girl asked me “Isn’t it nice to be in Fort Hope on Canada Day?” I could do nothing but reply with a big smile and a wholehearted “yes”. The rest of the week floated by on much the same cloud of enthusiasm as we took our time with planning, learning that like most places where time seems abundant, that there is no rush. Morning start times of 10am slowly got pushed back until
Busy Planning
The team getting one of the portables ready to go 1pm, and I must say, I am becoming quite accustomed to this luxury of time after the frantic pace of my life over the last year. On top of this relaxed atmosphere, there is also the beauty of the surroundings. There is nothing like living in a house where I can look through my front window in the morning and see the wide expanse a beautiful like and know that I have a whole host of canoes leaning on the side of my house, just calling my name.
Having had other experiences to compare with, Fort Hope racks up beside Ghana as having some of the most enjoyable aspects of life - a slower pace, friendly people, and a unique past - without having some of the least enjoyable aspects - the word obruni, hour long traffic jams, and open sewers. That being said, we are on a water advisory right now which does mean boil water before use (although not having to fetch the water does make a difference, I must admit!). Another aspect of life is the price of goods, particularly food. Being a fly in community only during the summer months, the price of food can
get pretty high (a loaf of bread at just shy of $4) and I couldn’t help but notice that the selection of food was hardly what one would consider healthy eating - produce is limited and not always in the best condition and is complimented by rows of chips, KD, and… E.D. Smith pie filling? You really could make any kind of pie under the sun up here! All jokes aside, I am truly enjoying being given the opportunity to experience and learn about the issues that haunt the past and the present of my own country.
Alas, this post has gone on long enough! Suffice to say, my feelers are still out. I know I have only been here a short while and can not attempt to fathom some of the deeper issues that occur within Fort Hope, but I hope that as I jump head first into camp this week, only more will reveal itself to me.
Love to all,
Courtney
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Angie
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Digging Deeper
Hey there, chica! I was so happy to hear of this new chapter in your adventures. It is something I have often thought about doing myself but wonder how to fit in the Mateo factor. It is interesting, and always sobering, to see that no matter the country in this world, Aboriginal peoples have been relegated to the margins and are plunged into deplorable conditions. I look forward to reading your updates and promise to 'develop my understanding' along side you!!