The Wenjack Education Institute- A First in Ontario
Thunder Bay, ON – Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute is pleased to announce the launch of a new and innovative in-service professional development program designed to increase the community development and innovation capacities of Early Childhood Educators (ECE) working in First Nations across the Northwest.
“The Indigenous ECE Leadership Professional Development Program is Oshki-Wenjack’s response to the professional development needs of ECE’s in our territory. Those education professionals are important contributors to the education of the next generation and need our ongoing support,” said Rosie Mosquito, Executive Director at Oshki-Wenjack.
A number of Aboriginal community organizations have come together in partnership to make this program possible including Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimiwedoon, Thunder Bay’s premier Aboriginal Head Start Program, Maamaawisiiwin Education Research Centre as well as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.
This professional development program began with a talking circle of Oshki-Wenjack ECE graduates who shared their professional needs and spoke eloquently about the early year’s education needs of children living on First Nations. “We have developed a program of professional development that enhances ECE’s community development, research capacities and offers a feast of new ideas from Canada’s educational leaders to choose from. There is no other program like it, anywhere in Ontario,” admitted Rosie Mosquito.
The program was originally funded to include twenty-two ECEs but the response from those education professionals has been overwhelming and Oshki-Wenjack has expanded the program to twenty-eight students with a significant waiting list of others wanting to enroll. Students have been learning through Oshki-Wenjack’s unique remote delivery model since November 2017. The students will arrive in Thunder Bay to complete their intensive one week of classes on campus from February 11th until February 17th, 2018.
For details about the Indigenous ECE Leadership Professional Development Program at Oshki-Wenjack visit: http://www.oshki.ca/Indigenous-ECE-Leadership-Professional-Development
