Blog

With the weather changing and signs of summer on the horizon, my family is excited to be out in our gardens. My husband and I both grew up growing food on our family farms, and love sharing this with our children. At two and four years old, they are already skilled at planting seeds, watering, pulling carrots from the soil and, of course, finding all of the ripest raspberries before we get any!… Read more.

Now is the time to be on the land. Connection to nature is one of the ways we heal, and we are excited to be out with family and friends (while practicing physical distancing, of course). The land is a teacher, a provider, and a sanctuary. What the land teaches us Reconnecting with nature reminds us of where we came from, and what we need to survive on the most basic level – air, water, food,… Read more.

With the long weekend passed, many of us were left wishing we could go camping as we have so often in the past. Unfortunately, with the parks closed it is not as easy (as if getting the family organized and out to a park was ever ‘easy’) as it used to be to get out and enjoy the outdoors. However, we can still enjoy some of the staples of the camping experience without ever leaving the house!… Read more.

My first introduction to nonviolent communication (NVC) was in Mexico City, just after finishing my undergraduate studies in peace and conflict. During my time living in the capital and working on issues of urban peace, I was immediately captivated by the theories and strategies that nonviolent communication provided. During a training I attended, we learned the power of these tools to… Read more.

We are currently living in unprecedented times, with everyone experiencing some disruption to their daily lives. As a result of COVID-19, many of us have been remanded to our homes for the vast majority of our time in accordance with physical distancing guidelines. With so much free time being created in the wake of physical distancing, there have been many excellent resources, activities and… Read more.

It’s been over a month since most of us have been working from home. On top of that, many families have children at home from school and university doing online schooling or learning. We at the Literacy Council are staying at home and doing our part, a lot of which includes screen time. During the weekdays I’m usually on my laptop working on reports, doing video meetings with coworkers, and… Read more.

You are currently suspended in time The world is going through a viral pandemic, and every day still feels surreal. You may feel lost. Ceremony can help you move through changes, challenges, time and space. Ceremony is the act of ritual for a greater purpose. It can include thoughts, words, actions, or objects, and can be conducted alone or with others. It is a way for us to communicate… Read more.

We have been asked for several years to change NWT Literacy Week from September as this is a very busy time in many NWT communities. Earlier this year, we decided to host NWT Literacy Week during the third week of April each year. NWT Literacy Week 2020 will take place April 19-25. This year’s theme is “Celebrating 30 Years of the NWT Literacy Council”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and physical… Read more.

With the COVID-19 outbreak most of us are spending a lot more time at home than we usually do. With social gatherings, events and activities all cancelled for now, we have a lot more free time on our hands. So why not try a new hobby or learn something new? Here are a few resources: Yoga Native Strength Revolution’s goal is to create a new generation of Indigenous healers through leadership… Read more.

It’s the 1930s in Holland and your mother is taking you and your three siblings for an appointment. You watch as she runs her finger along the family coat closet, pulls out the oldest coat she owns and puts it on. This is the coat she wears when she must take the children to the dentist. It is the first tactic in her end game of whittling down the fees from the dentist appointment that day,… Read more.