Check out the Fraser River Journey!

http://www.fraserjourney.ca/

The following from the website:

The Fraser River Journey documentary follows a group of 12 B.C. First Nations youth on a raft trip down the Fraser River. Wielding waterproof video cameras, the youths set out to document their adventures on one of the most stunning and diverse river systems in the world. In the process they learn important things about their province, their heritage, and themselves.

The documentary film and this website were created to help us take a brief look at the past, present, and future of native life in B.C. One goal of this project is to explore how Aboriginal youth can develop an identity and a place in contemporary society. Another is to show how adults are finding ways to help Aboriginal youth participate in a culture that is adapting, regenerating and changing.

Available on the website are various resources for use in the classroom. Worth checking out, I quite enjoyed the documentary but I haven’t had the opportunity to use it in the classroom myself. I would love to hear your thoughts on the documentary in the classroom if you have used it. Send your reviews to bcabeducation@gmail.com.

Learning About Walking in Beauty: Placing Aboriginal Perspectives in Canadian Classrooms

This is kind of a cool report.  Check it out at http://www.crr.ca/content/view/252/538/lang,english/

Below is the Report Highlights cut and paste from the start page.

Learning About Walking in Beauty: Placing Aboriginal Perspectives in Canadian Classrooms comes from the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS) with funding support from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF). Walking in Beauty is a term that speaks of conducting oneself in harmony with all of the living world, and is respectfully borrowed from the Navajo People.

In 2000-2001, the CAAS conducted a national Student Awareness Survey, measuring awareness, attitudes and knowledge of facts about Aboriginal Peoples' histories, cultures, worldviews and current concerns. Five hundred and nineteen young adults (460 Canadian, 35 Aboriginal and 24 Newcomer students in first year university and college courses across Canada) responded to this 12-page survey. The survey questionnaire was developed and administered by Aboriginal and Canadian educators, scholars, traditional Elders and advocates within the 300-member CAAS network.

The Learning About Walking in Beauty report includes the findings from this survey, together with pedagogical, social and historical analyses. The report offers a pedagogical framework and proposals for learning about "walking in beauty" together.