Hear back from Christian about his project to provide 1:1 mentoring to Indigenous elementary students in Bella Bella. Christian was a recipient of the Centre for Community Engaged Learning’s Chapman and Innovation Grants in the 2022-23 school year. You can view his report here.
Applications for CCEL Grants are open until Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT. Learn more about our grant funding here.
Could you please tell us what your project is about?
Learning Buddies Network is a registered charity that provides free 1-on-1 mentoring to elementary-aged students performing below their grade level in reading or math. My project aimed to expand LBN’s reading program to a remote Indigenous community in Bella Bella, BC. We did this by remotely connecting high school and university mentors from the Lower Mainland to elementary-aged students from Bella Bella Community School. Mentoring sessions took place regularly during the summer and after school in the fall, over a span of six months.
What might others learn from reading your report?
Indigenous populations face intersecting barriers (physical, financial, cultural and social) towards equitable access to education. A comprehensive understanding of these barriers, including physical, financial, cultural, and social, is key towards promoting accessible educational support to a marginalized community. Our trip to Bella Bella allowed us to understand the current challenges being faced by the community, the barriers affecting students’ academic success, and how to action positive change in a respectful manner that is also in line with the school’s Indigenous values.
What impact has your project work with LBN had on your outreach program, and the various Indigenous communities in Bella Bella?
Our fall program with Bella Bella was met with positive feedback from parents. Sharon Wilson, our teacher liaison, site supervisor, and consultant, shared with the LBN team that parents have noticed an improvement in their child’s reading at home. Based on the number of students for which LBN has data, 60% of students who participated in Bella Bella’s summer program improved in reading. 100% of buddies in the summer program rated the program at least a 4 out of 5, with ‘5’ being the highest score. Our successful launch of the pilot program has allowed us to continue the online model of program delivery. Currently, a new term of reading and math programs with Bella Bella are underway!
Have you been using the project learnings in your current work? Can you elaborate on how this experience contributed to your personal or applied/technical skills development?
Yes! My current work outside of the project involves working with children and youth in the community in different capacities – this project allowed me to gain experience in the non-profit sector supporting children and youth. The project has also taught me new skills in project management, especially budgeting and grant writing, which are relevant transferable skills in a variety of professional workplaces. A deliverable of the project was the development of Indigenous Worldview and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training modules, with the help of our Indigenous consultant. This allowed me to develop my technical skills further, namely image and text formatting, file management, and content creation.
As an aspiring social worker, the opportunity to work first-hand with an Indigenous community was an immensely beneficial experience in terms of helping me understand how to build and strengthen community connections, as well as applying what I’ve learned in university classes to tackle social issues affecting Indigenous peoples. In other words, putting knowledge into action!
What did you enjoy the most about your experience working on this project?
I enjoyed getting to know the staff and students we worked with in Bella Bella. I’ve always enjoyed hearing about peoples’ stories and their background, whether it be at school, in the workplace, or in the community. Hearing about the challenges the community faces on a daily basis was an eye-opening learning curve that allowed us to understand how to best cater to an Indigenous school and develop a sustainable, long-term program model.
Apart from building community connections, I also enjoyed hearing about the progress the little buddies from Bella Bella have made in their academics over time! This aspect of the project was extremely rewarding, knowing we’ve made a difference for a community.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned throughout the duration of your project?
I learned that the best learning comes from simply trying. As someone who has not executed a project of this magnitude before, I came into the project not knowing what to expect. However, the success of my project began with a simple idea. My first idea for the project came to mind on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the year before I applied for a CCEL grant. I was reflecting on what the day meant for everyone involved, with the idea of bringing LBN’s mission and my passion for community work together. From my one idea, many other ideas have unexpectedly emerged over the course of the project, especially a visit to Bella Bella which has taught me a lot of lessons about Indigenous culture and will help me in my future career. Now that the project is complete and our long-term plans for our Indigenous programs have commenced, I look back at the experience fondly and look forward to what comes next!