Name: Shayne A.P. Dahl
Issue: Arts, culture and recreation: Our mind, body and soul would improve if Toronto …
What’s the big idea: What if Toronto created an innovative education program that engaged more directly with First Nations communities by bringing Aboriginal elders into the classroom? Through this program, school boards would build lasting relationships with nearby First Nations that would greatly enhance the quality of Aboriginal education that young Canadians receive in school. Students, from K-12, would learn about Aboriginal issues, philosophy and history in Canada from those who live it. “Elders in the classroom” would also bring income and recognition to First Nations communities, who have much to teach but limited venues to share.
How will the big idea work: “Elders in the classroom” would provide the next generation of Torontonians the education we should have had. It will shatter widespread myths about Aboriginal criminality and economic dependency while exposing students to the material realities and discriminative policies that have led us to this critical point in Canadian history. However, it will also encourage students to think differently about life itself by exposing them to Aboriginal perspectives on the relationship between humans and natural world. Students will have a mentor figure to turn to when they have questions about Aboriginal issues, rather than teachers and texts that simply do not know enough. Innovated in Toronto, “Elders in the classroom” will surely catch on elsewhere in Canada. It would bring monumental change to the way we think.
How much will your big idea cost, and how would it be funded: The cost is simple: having the courage to honour the treaties, which promises mutual benefit and partnership in nation building. The payoff: showing the rest of the world that Canada is capable of living up to its founding promise of mutual prosperity and co-operation with Aboriginal people. “Elders in the classroom” will be funded by the willpower of Toronto.
How will you implement your big idea: I have shared and continue to share this idea with everyone involved in education and who cares about Aboriginal issues in Canada. All agree that the ignorance out there is depressing, but few offer solutions. I see education as our best defence against Aboriginal discrimination. With elders in the classroom for the long-term, I think it can be overcome. It must.
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