Our Youth
When we talk about developing the skills and obtaining the
education required to build our community, to make it viable,
to achieve our goal of self-sufficiency, we are really talking
about our youth.
It is the youth who will have the real opportunities to acquire
advanced educations and very specialized training in those areas
which will contribute to the well-being of our communities.
In a very real sense the future of our community belongs to
our youth.
Waapihtiiwewan School
(Excerpt from the Cree School Board Annual Report 1995)
Waapihtiiwewan School
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Waapihtiiwewan School is now two years old! Our biggest challenge
is without a doubt organizing the school and dealing with all
the adjustments we have to make as we go along. A lot has been
done, but a lot remains to be done. When classes started in
August of 1994 we had some discipline problems. The beginning
of 1995 was quite different. The climate in the school has really
improved thanks to the involvement of the Parents Committee,
the Band Council, the clinic and parents who supported us throughout
the process.
One of the programs developed as a result of numerous meetings
is the community work assigned to young people with discipline
problems at school. The program has been working well with cooperation
from the various organizations in the village.
Another project we are currently developing is the creation
of a round table committee involving Waapihtiiwewan School,
the clinic, the Band Council, the Peacekeepers and the parents.
The main goal of this committee is to encourage team work, communication,
and the development of various programs, such as prevention
of alcohol and drug abuse, family violence or sexual abuse.
One of the benefits is to eliminate the duplication of work.
Some of the activities organized during the school year by
the teachers include decorating the hallways, carnival activity
day, Christmas concert, day-trip to Mont-Chalco (downhill skiing),
participation in the village goose fair, end of term activities
and much more.
Our students took part in the Regional Science Fair. One of the
three teams that went won first place, and another second place.
In addition, we had excellent participation in the Arts Fair and
in various sports such as badminton, basketball and hockey.
Goals and Objectives:
- Communicating information in a community newspaper to get
people more involved in educating the young;
- Improving communication between parents and the school
with weekly student evaluation forms;
- Improving the quality of school life for students by maintaining
and developing school activities;
- Organizing an orientation session for the Parent's Committee;
- Developing a community education project.
"A school like this demands from each of us here in Ouje-Bougoumou
that we live up to a certain ideal which this building captures
in its design. It demands of us that we aspire to the best of what
our traditional culture represents and to the best of what we can
be in the future." (Chief Abel Bosum)
Petaapin Youth Center
The young early morning sun (PETAAPIN) shining from the land from
whence it came and shines through the doorway of the tee-pee represents
the youth that embraces us with its warm rays and their special
dreams that will help us empower the future of the Cree Nation.
Petaapin comes from the east, as where the Youth Center stands
and faces its community which one day will lead our nation.
- The colors represent: "All walks of life"
- The tee-pee represents: "From where we came"
- The beaver pelt represents: "Our culture"
- The nine lines on the tee-pee represent the nine relocations
of our people.Our people were pushed away from their settlements
due to forestry and mining activities that took place on their
lands. Our people were called the "squatters on provincial
crown lands" or known as "the forgotten Crees".
- The eight feathers represent the eight communities that
stood by our side during the time of our struggles in obtaining
a community and to become the ninth proud Cree community in
James Bay.
God bless and guide our youth, Norman A. Wapachee
Summer Student Program
With an increasing number of Ouje-Bougoumou students in various
levels and fields of education, the community has established a
Summer Student Employment Program that offers work experience opportunities
to the local students and provides incentives to encourage Ouje-Bougoumou
students to reach new heights in education and to instill a sense
of reward to those students who are pursuing studies that will one
day be beneficial to the community. The summer student program is
an investment into our student population.
The Summer Student Employment Program is administered by the Youth
Development Coordinator who prepares the student list, records the
student's field of study and interests, prepares and implements
guidelines, criteria, and procedures, ensures the proper registration
of students, prepares activity and financial reports, and evaluates
each program making recommendations to improve the delivery of the
program.
The summer student program is divided into four categories, each
with a specific purpose:
- The Traditional Summer Employment Experience Development
(SEED) Program is strictly for thos e young people pursuing
a traditional occupation in the hunting, fishing, and trapping
economy who are encountering difficulty entering into the
labor market during the summer months between July and September.
The objective is to offer these young people with an employment
opportunity in order to obtain work experience. They work
primarily on traditional and cultural projects which include
cabin construction, ski-doo trails, cultural village, canoe
excursions, outfitting and cultural tourism, and others as
approved by the Council.
- The Start Option Program is intended for those students
who may potentially wish to leave high school but who could
be encouraged to continue in school. The objective is to offer
these students employment in labor-related community projects
and in traditional and cultural projects.
- The Secondary SEED Program is strictly for those students
enrolled in secondary levels including full time up-grading
students. The objective is to assist the students in selecting
their fields of studies or careers. The students are introduced
to work experience in administration, businesses, and labor
related functions. The students may rotate every two weeks
within the three work experience groups. Administration will
include the offices of the Headquarters, Eenou Companee, Waapihtiiwewan
School, the Healing Center and Business Center. Businesses
include the Casey's Depanneur, Capissisit Lodge, outfitting
and cultural tourism, Native Exploration and possibly businesses
in Chibougamau and Chapais depending upon the availability
of funds for travel and accommodations. The labor related
works include Public Works, Environment, Recreation, and Housing.
- The Challenge Program is strictly for students in Universities,
Colleges, or CEGEPS. The objective is to offer these students
with an opportunity to work with professionals or relevant
organizations in which their studies or interests are directed.
The work place can be anywhere in the provinces of Quebec
and Ontario. Work places in the community include the senior
offices of the Headquarters, Eenou Companee, Waapihtiiwewan
School, the Healing Center, and businesses operated by Ouje-Bougoumou
members.
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