Lamoureux to join Pembina Trails School Division

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This article was published 30/11/2018 (2496 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first academic to hold the position of scholar in residence in the Pembina Trails School Division is promising to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action in the classroom.

Kevin Lamoureux, the associate vice-president of Indigenous affairs at the University of Winnipeg, will join Pembina Trails in January for a six-month term.

“The school division is already strong with people who are experts in their field and have done a lot of great work in Indigenous education, and I hope in my role to support that good work, to make some of those connections, and to facilitate some of that professional development,” Lamoureux said.

Lamoureux grew up in the North End of Winnipeg and said he is of mixed ancestry with one half of his family being non-status Ojibway. He will be stepping away from his position at the U of W to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Manitoba, specifically in reconciliation and the relationship between Indigenous and newcomer communities. He will be working with Pembina Trails in a part-time capacity.

“Of the 94 calls to action from the TRC, 72 of them are about education and awareness,” Lamoureux said. “Which means that whatever reconciliation is, it’s going to begin with education, which places public schools right on the frontline of change, and the kind of change that will lead to genuine reconciliation in Canada.

“When we’re calling upon teachers to be part of change for reconciliation it makes a lot of sense to support them with as much professional development, and as much linkages to research and post-secondary, as possible.”

Lamoureux previously served as the national education lead for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and also works with Seven Oaks School Division as its scholar in residence. He has held a similar position with Sunrise School Division and has consulted for other divisions in the province, and also worked as an instructor in the U of W’s faculty of education.

Ted Fransen, superintendent of Pembina Trails, said the division has wanted to establish a scholar in residence position for some time.

Fransen said the position will contribute to programming within Pembina Trails that addresses the TRC’s 94 calls to action. The division currently has an elder-in-residence — Winston Wuttunee— and Indigenous student success teachers.

However, Fransen said another resource that would transcend the layers of the division was needed.

“We knew there was a void and we could do better with how we were addressing the Truth and Reconciliation report. We were struggling with putting our finger on it.

“We know Kevin quite well and he knows us, and when we became aware of his availability it was just one of those moments where it was meant to be,” he said.

Fransen said Lamoureux will work with administration, trustees, teachers, and staff to fulfil the division’s response to the TRC and will help design programs for teachers to implement in the classroom.

The work will begin by providing educators with needed resources, and later focus on programs that give all students a sense of belonging and safety in schools through treaty education, Lamoureux said.

“In Canadian history, there’s no reason to believe that many teachers will have a solid understanding of why reconciliation is so important, or of Indigenous histories and perspectives,” he said.

He expects his time at Pembina Trails will also tie in to his studies at the U of M.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to make sure what I’m doing in my research is relevant to what’s happening in communities,” he said. “There’s a real opportunity to hear experiences and try to find the best way, that we as professionals who care about kids, to facilitate the best possible outcomes.”