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Introduction
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.
Our Children
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Waapihtiiwewan School
(Excerpt from the Cree School Board Annual Report 1995)
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| Waapihtiiwewan School |
W aapihtiiwewan 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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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Petaapin Youth Center
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| The Petaapin Youth Center Logo |
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
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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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Introduction
