FREE WEBINAR – From Community Voices to Action: A Collaborative Approach to Building a Community Language Plan

Developing a community language plan is about more than identifying goals. It requires listening to community voices, understanding existing language strengths and needs, and turning shared priorities into a clear path forward.

In this free webinar, Lorraine Cardinal-Roy, Cree Language Revitalization Specialist from KTCEA, and Joelle Chemali, Principal Consultant from Learning Bird, will share the process behind developing a community language plan, drawing on their recent collaborative work to create a five-year strategic plan. From initial engagement and information gathering to community validation and strategic planning, the session will offer practical insights for communities and organizations undertaking similar language revitalization work. 

Building a Community Language Plan

Every community has its own language priorities, strengths, challenges, and vision for the future. A community language plan can bring these pieces together and create a roadmap for long-term language revitalization.

In this webinar, we will explore key stages of the planning process, including:

  • Engaging community members and gathering input through meetings and surveys
  • Collecting and reviewing existing language data, programs, and resources
  • Working with Elders to validate findings and priorities
  • Bringing together input from multiple contributors
  • Collaboratively writing, reviewing, and refining the language plan

Throughout the session, we will share lessons from their own planning process and highlight how community voices, knowledge, and priorities informed the plan at each stage.

From Community Priorities to a Five-Year Strategic Plan

Gathering community input is only one part of the process. A strong community language plan needs to translate ideas into clear goals and actions that can guide revitalization work over time.

Participants will learn how to translate community priorities into a five-year strategic plan with annual goals, supporting sub-goals, timelines, and assigned responsibilities. We will also explore the monitoring tool we co-developed to track implementation, measure progress, and maintain accountability to the language plan.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is intended for:

  • First Nations communities and organizations
  • Language coordinators and language teams
  • Community leaders and administrators
  • Educators and language program staff
  • Anyone involved in community-based language revitalization and planning

Register Now

Join KTCEA and Learning Bird for this free webinar to learn more about developing a community language plan grounded in community voices, knowledge, and priorities.

Participants will leave with practical insights into community engagement, information gathering, collaborative planning, and translating community priorities into a structured plan for long-term language revitalization.

Register now to save your spot.

Honouring Indigenous Veterans and Remembering Arnold Logan

Each year on November 8, we honour Indigenous Veterans, the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people who have served Canada with courage and commitment. Across generations, Indigenous Peoples have played vital roles in Canada’s military history, often enlisting voluntarily and serving in major conflicts around the world.

Across generations, Indigenous Peoples have played vital roles in both local and global conflicts — long before Canada’s formation and throughout its history. From serving as allies to the British Crown during the 18th and 19th centuries to enlisting in both World Wars and beyond, Indigenous participation in military efforts has been constant, demonstrating deep resilience, skill, and leadership.

Their contributions and sacrifices are immeasurable. Yet for many Indigenous veterans, recognition and support were not equal to that received by their non-Indigenous counterparts. Despite these inequities, Indigenous service members continued to demonstrate resilience, pride, and leadership both on and off the battlefield.

Honouring the Story of Arnold Logan

Among those who stepped forward to serve was Private Arnold Logan, a proud member of the Munsee-Delaware Nation in Ontario.

Logan was one of the first Indigenous men to volunteer for service in World War I. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on August 11, 1914—just days after Canada declared war—and was one of the “First 100” to step forward in defence of the nation. He joined the 1st Battalion (Western Ontario Regiment) and trained in Valcartier, Quebec, before travelling to England and later deploying to France in early 1915.

Throughout his service, Logan fought courageously in several major battles, including Ypres, Festubert and Givenchy. Tragically, Private Logan was killed in action near Ypres on April 26, 1916, at only 19 years old. He is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery in Belgium.

A monument now stands in Muncey, Ontario, honouring his bravery and sacrifice. It serves as both a memorial to Logan’s life and a lasting tribute to the many Indigenous veterans who served despite discrimination and exclusion. Their courage helped shape Canada’s history.

Reflecting on the Service and Sacrifice of Indigenous Veterans

The story of Arnold Logan is just one among thousands. Indigenous veterans have served in every major conflict — from early battles fought for and against colonial powers to the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Afghanistan War, and peacekeeping missions worldwide. They often served as skilled scouts, snipers, and soldiers whose expertise was rooted in generations of knowledge and a deep connection to the land.

After returning home, many faced systemic barriers that denied them equal benefits, land rights, and recognition. Despite these injustices, Indigenous veterans and their families have continued to advocate for remembrance, fairness, and respect.

As educators, sharing the stories of Indigenous veterans helps students gain a fuller understanding of Canadian history — one that acknowledges both courage and inequity, loss and resilience. These stories are not only about war, but also about perseverance, identity, and the strength of Indigenous communities.

Learn More and Reflect

We invite educators to take time this Indigenous Veterans Day to learn, reflect, and share these stories in their classrooms. Recognizing the contributions of Indigenous veterans is an important part of understanding Canada’s history and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation.

Explore more resources, stories, and classroom materials through the links below:

Photo of Arnold Logan’s monument used with permission from Ian McCallum. Ian is a member of the Munsee-Delaware First Nation. He works with his community to promote culture and history, and is a researcher specializing in the Munsee language.

FREE WEBINAR – Creating Your Community Language Plan

Are you in the process of creating a long-term language plan for your community? Do you need support moving your language revitalization efforts forward? In this webinar, Andrea Simmons and Hannah McGregor define what a community language plan is, discuss why they’re important, and outline the different steps involved in preparing for and developing a community language plan.

Watch the webinar recording here!

Indigenous Languages and Secret Path: Resources for High School Educators

The school year hasn’t quite begun, but many educators are planning what they will teach this year. To help prepare for Secret Path Week, we are sharing new resources we created over the summer for high school educators.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: Secret Path Resources

Once again, we’ve teamed up with our friends at The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund to create a series of free resources based on Secret Path, the multimedia project by Gord Downie, retelling the story of Chanie Wenjack’s flight from residential school. This project includes a graphic novel, album, and animated film. 

Incorporating Language Revitalization

In honour of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, the resources position Chanie Wenjack’s story as an opportunity to explore Indigenous languages and how they relate to Indigenous rights on a local, regional, national, and global scale.

As learners complete the activities in this kit, they will develop literacy, research, communication, and empathy skills. They will learn about various Indigenous languages and revitalization efforts. Learners will share what they learn with others in their communities. This kit is best suited for high school level Indigenous studies, English language arts, and social studies. 

Legacy Schools Program

We will provide the Indigenous Languages and Secret Path resource kit to educators participating in The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund’s Legacy Schools Program. We hope this kit acts as a catalyst to bring Indigenous languages, cultures, histories, and perspectives into classrooms. Access the complete resource kit through the links below. 

Indigenous Languages and Secret Path Resource Kit

Educator Guide

This Educator Guide will help you position Chanie Wenjack’s story and Secret Path as starting points for exploring Indigenous languages in Canada and worldwide.

Indigenous Languages and Secret Path

Did you know that the United Nations declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages? What connections can we draw between Chanie Wenjack’s experiences at residential school and language revitalization today? Let’s think about the importance of Indigenous languages and rights as we watch a Secret Path movie clip.

Finding a Secret Path: Mapping Activity

In Secret Path, Chanie Wenjack can not read the map he takes on his escape from residential school. How do you think he felt? This mapping activity helps us reflect and discuss how language and language loss affect finding our place in the world.

Indigenous Languages in Canada: KWL Chart and Infographic Analysis

The residential school system interrupted the transmission of many Indigenous languages between generations. Still, many of these languages survive and thrive. Let’s explore how Indigenous Peoples continue strengthening and revitalizing languages today.

Indigenous Languages: Worldviews and Revitalization

Why do Indigenous languages hold so much meaning for the people that speak them? Wahiakeron Gilbert and Diane Labelle from Kahnawake speak about the importance of Kanien’kehá:ka in their worldview. They discuss the effects of residential schooling on the language and how people are teaching and learning the language today.

Research Activity: Indigenous Languages Here and Now

How much do you know about Indigenous languages in Canada? How about in your region or community? Research Indigenous languages and create a visual representation (infographic or fact-sheet) to teach others what you learn.

Indigenous Languages Inquiry Project

What do you want to learn about Indigenous languages and language revitalization? What do you think other people should know? Take positive action and direct your learning. Choose an inquiry question, plan your research, and present your learning to the people around you.

Annotated Bibliography: Indigenous Languages and Languages Revitalization

Reconciliation asks that educators listen, learn, and grow with their learners. This educator handout offers a starting bibliography of Indigenous perspectives to help you continue past Secret Path and deepen your knowledge of Indigenous history, education, and languages in Canada. You may even want to share these resources with your learners!

Resources for Middle School Learners

We also created a resource kit for middle school learners around Storytelling and Secret Path. It guides learners through different forms of storytelling to express themselves and honour stories like Chanie Wenjack’s. 

We hope you enjoy these resources and use them in your classes. If you plan to include Secret Path in your instruction or address reconciliation with your class, sign-up for the Legacy Schools Program from The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. This program provides educators with a free toolkit to address the topics of residential schools and reconciliation. 

How did you use these resources in your class? Let us know.

International Year of Indigenous Languages

Language resources in a Cree classroom

The United Nations has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019). This year’s goal is to raise awareness of the world’s Indigenous languages to benefit these language speakers and foster an appreciation of their contributions to our world’s cultural diversity. One of the ways we understand the world around us is through the language we speak. Our language helps frame our culture, worldview, and even our behaviours. Without speaking and understanding our languages, we lose access to a certain depth of understanding regarding our worldview and culture. Many Indigenous languages worldwide are in danger of disappearing for various reasons. In Canada, assimilative policies such as the Indian Residential School System and the Sixties Scoop are largely to blame for these language losses. 

Governments, organizations, and businesses have partnered with UNESCO and taken action during the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The goal is to promote Indigenous languages, provide access to education in and about Indigenous languages, and support the revitalization of Indigenous languages. Perhaps even more important, though, are the efforts communities, schools, and individuals across the country are making to spread awareness of the beauty of their languages. One such example is the learners at Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, who translated and recorded a cover of Blackbird by the Beatles in Mi’kmaq.

Indigenous Languages in the Classroom

National Aboriginal History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day are coming up. It seems fitting to celebrate the histories and worldviews held in Indigenous languages by highlighting the resources we have created in collaboration with our partners. The educators we work with want to see their learners using their languages to communicate in everyday interactions. The digital language resources we create with our partners help learners learn their mother tongue and focus on using words and phrases in authentic contexts. We are proud to feature resources that support listening to, learning, and using six different dialects from across Canada. The resources below showcase some examples of what we’ve created for each dialect.

Cree (th)

Created with: Nelson House

In this video, learners learn Cree words for different types of trade and travel by comparing the past and the present. It also introduces learners to the concept of sustainable development.

This video situates new Cree words into the real context of learning the cultural significance of various forms of transportation and the types of trade over the years. This context will help learners understand these vocabulary terms and their usage.

Cree (y)

Cree Language Role Play handout

Created with: Treaty Six Education Council

In this handout, learners have the opportunity to use Plains Cree words, which they have already learned, in a role-play exercise.

Offering learners the opportunity to hear and see words and speak and act out situations while using new vocabulary is a great way to encourage vocabulary retention.

Mi’kmaw

Created with: Potlotek First Nation

This video gives an overview of the Marshall Decision, a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada about fishing regulations. It explains how the ruling came to pass and its importance for the Mi’kmaw Nation.

Learners must see how to use language in everyday and current contexts. This video teaches language while also teaching about an important legal victory for the Mi’kmaw Nation that continues to impact commercial fisheries in Nova Scotia.

Oji-Cree

Created with: Simon Jacob Memorial

This resource helps learners learn how to use basic sentences to express their emotions in Oji-Cree. It shows learners a picture of a person exhibiting an emotion and the Oji-Cree sentence. Learners then guess the corresponding sentence in English.

Language is, first and foremost, a tool for expressing ourselves. Teaching learners how to recognize, identify and explain their emotions is an important part of a educators’ role. Showing learners how to do those things in their language is a powerful experience. It may enable learners to express more than they could otherwise in English.

Ojibwe

Created with: Lac La Croix First Nation

This video looks at traditional methods of harvesting wild rice in Lac La Croix. It also explores some important ricing terms in the Ojibwe language.

This video stresses the connection between language and culture. Helping learners learn their language through participation in cultural activities is a great way to add a depth of understanding to both the traditions and words.

Saulteaux

Created with: Omiishosh Memorial School

In this video, learners learn from Pauingassi Elders about medicines for their hearts, toothaches, and skin. Learners also learn about some places where they can find these medicines.

While learning vocabulary words is an important part of introducing a base level of knowledge about a language. It isn’t until we use the language to communicate full thoughts and ideas that we can understand truly. This video offers the opportunity to learn about traditional medicines in Saulteaux.

 

You can find more resources to support these dialects on Learning Bird. Browse by ‘Languages’ and then filter to find resources for the dialect of your choice.

I have also shared a list of links below to help you learn more about Indigenous languages in Canada and about the International Year of Indigenous Languages declaration.

 

If you are interested in collaborating with us to create digital resources to help your learners learn their language, reach us at achieve@learningbird.com or call 1-888-844-9022.  

Earth Day and Beyond: Our Water

On April 22, people across the world will celebrate Earth Day. There will be demonstrations, guest speakers, and schools may encourage learners to have a trash-free day or bring a plant home.

While these are worthwhile activities, we can and should do more. We can do more every day. We cannot only care for our environment on Earth Day.

Water Protectors

For years, Indigenous women have been telling us about the state of our water. They have warned us about the pollution leaching in by accident or dumped on purpose. They have warned us about disrupting the flow of water across this land. Indigenous women have asserted their right to clean drinking water and advocated for more than 100 communities still under boil water advisories.

Women’s Connection to Water in Indigenous Worldviews

Women have a close connection and relationship with water in many Indigenous worldviews. They often take on the role of caretaker or protector. This is why women often spearhead movements like Idle No More and Mother Earth Water Walk.

Traditional Knowledge

In her article “Aboriginal Women, Water and Health: Reflections from Eleven First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Grandmothers,” Kim Anderson speaks with Grandmothers from different Nations across Turtle Island. Many of the women she speaks with talk about how water can be seen as the life-blood of the Earth. Just as our bodies have veins and arteries which carry blood, the rivers and streams carry water through the land. Most of the Earth’s surface is water, just as our bodies are mostly water. We can form reciprocal relationships with water. The Grandmothers’ Traditional Knowledge tells us that water will take care of us if we take care of it. Water can provide humans with food, hydration, transportation, medicine, and other necessities. But water cannot just keep giving without us offering something in return. We need to take care of it, keep it clean, and thank it for helping us.

Water is not a resource. It is our sibling.

Clean Water Advocacy

In the following resource, created in collaboration with Seven Generations High School, we hear Laura Horton from Manitou Rapids talk about her own advocacy journey for clean water.

Water Is the Basis of All Life

As Laura tells us, water is not replaceable. Once the water we have is gone, it will be gone forever. The water Laura is protecting is the basis of life on our planet. Animals and plants all need water to live. They need water to support their habitats and for drinking. When this water is not clean, plants change beyond recognition or die, and animals leave to find cleaner water sources. If the animals can’t leave, they mutate or carry poisons in their bodies that affect others higher up on the food chain, including humans.

As pollution affects our waters, we have to be more careful about our food choices, especially fish. We need to add more and more chemicals to our water to make sure it is drinkable. Finally, when the water becomes too polluted to drink, we need to bring water in from other parts of the country, which creates its own toll on the environment.

Take Action to Protect Our Waters

So, based on the Traditional Knowledge of these women, what can we do to protect our waters? We can walk for them. We can pray for them. We can lay down tobacco for them. We can raise our voices for them.

Above all, we can take action in our own lives to get to know the waters around us and to clean them up.

  • Organize clean-ups every spring and fall.
  • Connect with Water Walkers and Elders in or near your community.
  • Take part in demonstrations and protests year-round that advocate for our water.
  • Walk along the waterways in your community to form your own relationship.
  • Commit to reducing your household waste permanently, a little bit at a time.

That should be our goal this Earth Day and every day.

National Indigenous Veterans Day

National Indigenous Veterans Day

Lest We Forget is a phrase commonly associated with Remembrance Day observations. It has particular resonance as the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day approaches. The phrase has biblical origins, but its modern connotation urges us to recognize and remember the sacrifices made by millions of men and women in foreign conflicts. In Canada, however, “Lest We Forget” seems to apply only to some Canadians who risked or lost their lives in defence of our country. Specifically, Canadian history largely omits the contributions of Indigenous Peoples who fought for the freedoms we enjoy. The government recently made efforts to rectify these omissions and honour the thousands of Indigenous volunteers who fought and died for Canada with National Indigenous Veterans Day.

Honouring Indigenous Veterans

In July 2018, the Governor General awarded an amateur historian in Quebec the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. Yann Castelnot created one of the largest databases of Indigenous soldiers who served in the Canadian and U.S. militaries. Castelnot, originally from France, spent two decades compiling the names of more than 150,000 Indigenous soldiers who fought for their countries. His work brought the achievements of military heroes like Sgt. Frank Narcisse Jérome, a Mi’kmaw soldier from Quebec who fought at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, and Passchendaele to light. Jérome is one of only 39 Canadians to receive the Military Medal three times during a conflict. “[These heroes] must be put back on the altar of heroes alongside all the others…it’s not just a photo or a name, but a story to tell,” Castelnot said.

Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture

Last year, Learning Bird worked with St. Theresa Point Middle School to create social studies resources about the contributions of First Nations people in Canada’s war efforts in the twentieth century. One of the video resources centres on Indigenous heroes in WWI. It details the experiences of veterans like Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture. Monture was a member of Six Nations of the Grand River and a gifted student. She aspired to become a nurse. However, the Indian Act barred Indigenous people from higher education. Instead, she attended nursing school in New York and became Canada’s first Indigenous registered nurse in 1914. She then joined the U.S. military and served in a military hospital in France from 1917-18. Charlotte subsequently became the first Indigenous woman to vote in Canada.

Mike Mountain Horse

The resource kit also highlights the service of Mike Mountain Horse from Kainai First Nation. Mike went to St. Paul’s Anglican Residential School on reserve at age six. He later worked as a scout for the North-West Mounted Police. Mountain Horse’s father fought with the Blood Tribe during the Battle of Belly River. His brother served with the 23rd Alberta Rangers in World War One, eventually dying of injuries he suffered during the Second Battle of Ypres. Mike Mountain Horse and his brother Joe enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, fighting in France. Upon his return to Canada, he became a journalist. He wrote a manuscript detailing Kainai culture and history called “My People the Bloods.”  

Charles “Checker” Tomkins

Another Indigenous soldier featured in the resource kit is Charles “Checker” Tomkins, who played a key role in WWII. Charles was a fluent Cree speaker from a small village in Northern Alberta. He joined the Canadian military in 1939. The Canadian High Command sent him to London, England in 1940, and summoned him to a secret meeting. There, they tested Charles’ fluency in Cree. Canadian High Command told Charles he would serve as a “code talker,” a translator of secret Allied communications. Command assigned Charles to the U.S. 8th Air Force and the 9th Bomber Command in England, translating various messages like troop movement orders or enemy supply lines. A 2016 documentary on Charles’ service, Cree Code Talker, notes that many credit this operation with helping win the war. The film also points out that neither the U.S. nor Canadian governments have recognized code talkers’ role in WWII.

Learning About Indigenous Veterans

These resources ask learners to consider the contributions of Indigenous war heroes. They challenge learners to consider what we can learn from the past and how it helps us understand the present and the future. Questions like these help learners develop strong critical thinking skills and prepare them to consider the differences between how the Canadian government has treated non-Indigenous and Indigenous veterans.

Celebrate National Indigenous Veterans Day

November 8th marks National Indigenous Veterans Day. It was first observed by Winnipeg’s city council to commemorate Indigenous contributions to Canada’s war efforts. The Canadian government still does not consider it a national day of observance. However, educators can ensure that learners know the extraordinary contributions and significant legacies of thousands of Indigenous men and women. We hope to work with other communities to create content that honours and celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ service to Canada in the coming years.