National program a first for Metis women

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A first-of-a-kind event took place in Prince Albert recently - an event featuring fiddle music and a foot-stomping beat. The first-ever national training program sponsored by the Metis National Council of Women took centre stage in the lives of a group of 10 young Metis women from all across western Canada and as far away as Ontario.

They were participating in an eight-week course training them to be Metis Headstart Preschool supervisors. Jigging and traditional Metis cooking were a key part of the program, along with first aid, early childhood development and computer training.

The women, aged 16 to 25, came from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

Janice Henry, Prince Albert co-ordinator for the Metis National Council of Women, said the goal of the Metis Women Youth Headstart Training Project was to prepare young Metis women for work in Headstart preschools across the country, while strengthening their understanding of their culture.

"This is a first-ever," Henry said. "We're hoping it's just the beginning of the Metis National Council of Women in being able to assist our youth in being able to participate in the workforce."

The Aboriginal Headstart preschool program exists throughout Canada, providing a culturally-friendly atmosphere for Aboriginal children to develop in their first classroom.

Henry said the Headstart program got started in response to a significant drop out rate of Aboriginal youth from public school.

"A critical part to that is the cultural aspect as well. It's very important," Henry said. "It prepares kids for starting school and ultimately ensures success in that system."

The uniqueness of the Headstart program is its work with the families instead of just the children, according to Henry. Parent participation is mandatory.

That's why the trainees must have a good grounding in their culture and have training in crisis prevention. They will be dealing with all sorts of family problems and their cultural influence often filters back into the home, benefiting the entire family.

The course also helps the participants see how similar they are to each other although they are from different provinces.

"It's a surprise to some of the girls. For some it's their first time away from home. It's been a tremendous growing experience ."

Each of the participants will each receive a certificate from the Metis cultural class and will be able to transfer the work they've done in early childhood education to their home provinces.

Rhoda Roy, 20, from Green Lake, Sask. heard about the program when it was advertised on radio. She was already interested in child care and was interested in the first aid and CPR training being offered as well.

Roy said learning about her Metis culture during the program was very helpful to her.

"It taught me about Batoche, Louis Riel, Dumont, how we became Metis," Roy said. "Which was helpful because I've never learned it through school or anywhere else."

Roy may not have had the historical knowledge about her culture before coming to the program, but she said her family does live traditionally. They do jigging and square dancing, which is where she learned it, and also hunt for wild meat and cook bannock and stews. Still, the program has interested her enough that she will be applying for the next phase when it's offered.

"I think the whole process has been very, very positive," Henry said. With the success of the program, the next step will indeed be to set up a second phase to the course."