Yukon collaborates with Selkirk First Nation on new program

Yukon College has collaborated with the Selkirk First Nation to launch a pilot Essential Skills project, a new program on the college’s Pelly Crossing campus that sees students build a raft and travel from Fort Selkirk to Minto Landing. The program sees students work with Elders and instructors to learn skills such as preparing camps and making and using traps; and discuss topics such as decolonization, Indigenous governance, and self-determination. “The idea behind land-based programming is that students become empowered through meaningfully connecting to cultural and traditional skills and this empowerment then translates into academic and employment success,” said John Reid, Department Head for Northern Region at Yukon College. NationTalk