Division News

Wabasca Community Stewardship

The Wabasca Community Stewardship Project is a collaborative co-creative partnership between Northland School Division and Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority facilitated by Alberta Education. Northland School Division and Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority collaboratively co-created a digitally based learning and teaching resource focused on Learning from Place within the Bigstone Cree traditional territories.

The Community Stewardship Model of Curriculum Development aligns to the common goals of literacy and numeracy through the development of land-based navigational skills and ‘reading the environment’ in the acquisition of traditional stewardship knowledge and practices. Literacy and numeracy are natural concepts incorporate within environmental learning. While land stewardship programs exist at the postsecondary level, it is vital that youth develop passion for learning and acquiring competencies to care for the environment in order to sustain future generations.

The project is described as an experiential learning experience that follows a journey through Bigstone Cree traditional territory, stopping at significant learning sites. Cree language and cultural knowledge is incorporated throughout learning activities. A balance of traditional and western knowledge paradigms is established and maintained. While the final digitally based learning and teaching resource is organic and continuously developing, the establishment of the project consisted of developing three learning units; two introductory units and one location specific unit. Additional sites and learning activities will be further developed by Northland School Division and Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority.

This project lead to increased capacity and enhanced working relationships with Northland School Division, Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority, and First Nation and Métis community members. The Wabasca Community Stewardship project based in the Wabasca-Desmarais area resulted in First Nation and Métis students, community members, Elders, oskâpewak and Knowledge Keepers, seeing themselves as active participants in the educational experience.

Click here to view the Wabasca Community Stewardship website!