Child poverty education program in jeopardy

A popular program that fights child poverty while bringing Aboriginal teaching into Thunder Bay schools is in jeopardy as its funding runs out at the end of March, 2012.

The Biwaase’aa Program has operated in seven Thunder Bay elementary schools since 2004.

It places an Aboriginal Youth Worker into each school and provides a nutritional lunch, after school program and literacy skills in the schools, while working one on one with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students alike.

The "main purpose of the program is to work towards child poverty in the elementary schools", said Program Manager Paul Frances. “It is a year round program, following the school calendar.”

The program also hosts "feasts and showcase pow wow gatherings," said youth worker Nathan Moses.

“This gives the students an opportunity to learn about some of our aboriginal practices, to promote our First Nations pride," said Moses.

"Being a person who works directly in a school as an aboriginal person, I am given a role model incentives for our students that I'm actually here for all kinds/walks of life,"
Moses added. "When we talk to them (the students), we talk about our history and our pride."
As for the nutritional program, it is provided so the children can have a "full belly to have a good mind as they come to school,” Moses explained.

All children need good nutrition to maintain good grades. It is one of Maslow's basic level of needs.

The program is geared towards all students, "not just natives, but non-native as well," added Moses.

Up to 35 to 40 students use the program regularly. Each day they come to school and are provided with a snack, lunch and extra help with schoolwork.

The funding currently comes from the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, which is a federal funding source. Other sources of funding include The United Way and the provincial government.

"We are not sure what is going to happen after March,” said Frances. “Right now we are looking to try fund to keep the program going from April to June. The main focus now is to try to find the funds."

Frances added that the program is trying to bring together its many partners to find funding.
"We held a Stakeholders Forum back in November, we brought in a lot of our partners/stakeholdes to sustain the program." relied Frances. "We have partnered with Frontier College to deliver our Afterschool program. It involves adults/parents to come in for literacy lessons."

Special Education teacher Lucy Goldberg said the loss of funding would be unfortunate for Our Lady of Charity school, as the program helps build compassion and tolerance for other people and cultures.

"I think its important we have that to continue in our school, here at Our Lady of Charity," Goldberg said. “Getting to know about other people's culture is important for building compassion, tolerance for one another.”

“We are a community together, individuals come together,” she added. “We try to integrate all our children's needs and bring them into their culture. It doesn't matter what ethinicity they are, we promote spirituality."