Learning Story – How can we help at Bushkids?
The Week of Nov 3, 2023
What Happened?
The main inquiry question for today was “How can we help at Bushkids?” and the competency that we framed this on was the Dene Law “Help each other – Ełeèts’ahdı̀”. The Bushkids made a list of all of the ways we can help each other, the Land and ourselves. At the end of the day we shared examples of where we saw the Dene Law alive and well.
- taking only what we need
- feeding the fire
- learning to make small fires
- practicing Wıı̀lıı̀deh Yatıı̀
- building a community of forts
- making bannock and fish cakes with the Elder
- boiling spruce bough
- making a hatchet
- chopping wood
- writing new signs
- sewing a gift for an aurora college student
- cleaning up at the end of the day
- washing the dishes
- serving the food
- shoveling and sweeping
- being calm and respectful if an animal comes into the camp (fox)
Why is it Important?
We are laying the foundation for the Bushkids to see themselves as stewards and caretakers of the Land. Being a part of everything at camp and engaging with the tools are significant so that the Bushkids can feel competent and capable while on the Land. They are learning what their roles are and being included in the bigger picture of everything that’s required to have a safe, healthy and clean camp. Their engagement with the Land, with cultural activities, connecting with knowledge holders and Elders – is very helpful to the Land. They are there every week, watching and observing the lake and the Land.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We can ask more questions about what their role is as a caretaker of Bushkids and why that’s important. Do they see themselves doing this on a larger scale someday for a living? Bushkids staff can share more about themselves and what motivates them to do this work. Do the Bushkids understand the bigger picture? Do they know of the different occupations that are connected to the Land where their skills would be important? We don’t talk about this enough at Bushkids. The Bushkids need to see themselves as competent and capable in these fields of work.