As I mentioned, we have three separate institutions within Ulnooweg, and each has a different approach to this. As an organization with over 65 staff, we have a very youthful population internally, with probably 55% to 60% under 35. As part of this, our onboarding process involves something as simple as lunch with an elder or traditional knowledge holder. All of our staff sit down at lunch with our remote communities as well to gain this knowledge from traditional people and elders and talk about things like history, residential school experiences and Indian day school experiences, and to bring them back to the values and where they come from.
Under our education centre, we have been very critical in how we approach science and use the teachings of Albert Marshall and his term “Etuaptmumk”—two-eyed seeing. How do we bring science and indigenous knowledge together to create an environment of reconciliation, for example?
Our foundation has built-in links with university and college students. We're integrating culture into their learning journey so that they stay rooted within the communities. As one of the most exciting things that we've done most recently, in December we purchased 200 acres of ancient Wabanaki forest and are creating an education and healing centre, which again results in bringing those traditional teachings, not only through science but also through business and economic development.