Nitotem Leadership Team & Circle of Courage
On October 24, 2018 the Nitotem Leadership Team (Grades 7-12) and Circle of Courage Group from St. Augustine School traveled to our sister school, Sacred Heart in Wetaskiwin, Alberta to learn how to deliver the Blanket Exercise. The Sacred Heart Indigenous Leadership Team, comprised of student leaders in grades 7, 8 & 9 have been delivering the Blanket Exercise to various schools and people around their community and so graciously took the time to mentor our students.
The Blanket Exercise is based on participatory popular education methodology and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.
The Nitotem and Circle of Courage groups will be busy preparing and personalizing the blanket exercise to our area and will be educating our school and parent council in the New Year! A big shout out to Natalie Bear and the Indigenous Leadership Team for inviting us into their school and sharing their knowledge!
https://www.kairoscanada.org/what-we-do/indigenous-rights/blanket-exercise
Nitotem Leadership Team & Circle of Courage
