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It has been a couple of weeks since I returned from the COLD (Connecting on the Land in Denendeh) Forum Camp with Northern Youth Leadership (NYL). I was invited by Steph Woodworth (NYL Project Director) and Goliah Makletzoff-Cazon (NYL Project Coordinator) to be one of the many community mentors at this camp. From February 9 to16, I spent time with youth from all three territories at Camp… Read more.

Every March, Canada observes Agricultural Literacy Month, a significant event dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of agriculture among Canadians. The goal is to foster a profound connection between our communities and the agricultural sector, highlighting its critical role in our daily lives and the economy.  The history of agriculture in the Northwest Territories (NWT) is… Read more.

In February, Canadians come together to celebrate Black History Month, a time to honour and remember the rich culture, achievements, and contributions of Black Canadians. This year's theme, "Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations”, invites us to learn about the stories of Black Canadians whose strength and creativity have left a lasting impact… Read more.

Hello, my name is Cathy Modeste-Short. I'm happy to be with you to talk about Indigenous languages.  One of our elders, the late Paul Baton, said "We are not supposed to lose our language. We have to preserve it and protect it. That is the way it should be." Another elder said to be careful to listen when people tell you something. Pay attention to the words. Watch the speaker's expression and… Read more.

There is a teaching I love about Indigenous resilience and the strength of the braid. The braid has three strands, each representing an important aspect of our resilience as Indigenous peoples. First, our connection to the Land. As Indigenous people, our connection to the Land is everything. The Land is sacred. Mother Earth gives us everything we need, and in return it is our job to care for Her… Read more.

Language is about connection: connection to the Land, connection to our values, connection to one another. It's no wonder, then, that our languages were systematically targeted by colonization. Although I grew up hearing the language around me at a young age in Deline, once my family started moving to different communities every few months, that consistency was difficult to maintain. When we… Read more.

This is the third and final segment of our annual holiday book picks blog series. This is always a fun list for our staff to compile and we end up adding to our own To Be Read lists from reading each other’s suggestions! We wish you a wonderful holiday season, full of great stories. Be sure to check out the last two blog segments here and here. The Misewa Saga by David A. Robertson The Misewa… Read more.

This is the second instalment in our holiday book picks series. We hope you are enjoying reading about our favourite books of 2024, gifts we are excited to share and books we can’t wait to read! Check out last week’s blog here, and visit again next week for our third list. Braiding Sweetgrass by  Robin Wall Kimmerer As an Indigenous Scientist, Kimmerer dives into her Potawatomi cultural and… Read more.

Each year our team creates a blog series highlighting our favourite reads of the last year, books we are looking forward to reading over the holiday break, or books we plan to give as gifts this year. We hope you enjoy these first suggestions and check back each of the next two weeks for the rest of the series. Wonderfully Wired Brains by Louise Gooding I am excited to explore this book with my… Read more.

The NWT Literacy Council is a non-profit organization and a registered charity.  We are funded by various levels of government (municipal, territorial and federal), as well as  foundations, industry, and partnerships with other organizations, to carry out projects within the NWT that focus on many different aspects of literacy. These include Family Literacy, Youth Literacy,  Adult Literacy,… Read more.