Members of the Dick family from Songhees performed traditional songs and dances at a First Nations cultural night and feast at the Mungo Martin Big House in Victoria recently.

The event was part of the faculty of education’s annual retreat “New Visions in First Nations Education,” celebrating new First Nations teacher education initiatives and introducing faculty and staff to current issues in First Nations education.

There is a “massive lack” of First Nations teachers, says First Nations education coordinator Mary Aski-piyesiwiskwew Longman. By providing culturally relevant curriculum and community-based programming with off-campus training and condensed summer courses, the new programming will address barriers that have made it difficult for First Nations students to pursue an education degree.

The faculty is developing a new BEd with a First Nations focus, two years of which can be completed off campus in the students’ own communities. This will be complemented with an internship middle school option consisting of summer courses and a community-based practicum.

In addition, the faculty is initiating partnerships with communities to offer curriculum for teachers to qualify for the developmental Standard Term Certificate in First Nations language and culture, a program developed by the First Nations Steering Committee and the B.C. College of Teachers.