Education centre offering Cree, Ojibwe language lessons

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This article was published 06/02/2021 (1788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre has been closed for more than 300 days since it shut down indefinitely on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, MICEC organized all kinds of in-person workshops, beading, fundraisers, and language classes. People could also borrow books and other materials from the People’s Library, as well as access the public computers. But all that came to a halt last year, except for a blip in the summer when restrictions eased and the centre re-opened at reduced capacity, according to office manager Anna Parenteau.

The North Point Douglas-based facility has been cautious about offering services and resources to the public because of the health risks posed by the virus, but it continues to connect with its community members in alternative ways.

The centre employs a number of youth who, last summer, created a channel on TikTok, a video-sharing app whose popularity exploded during the pandemic, to post educational videos such as Indigenous language lessons. The account has gained more than 2,700 followers and over 21,000 likes.

MICEC is bringing its interactive language workshops back, but through the screen. Throughout February and part of March, the centre is running a virtual Cree language table where registrants can learn and practise with others.

“Our language table is a time or space that we created for speakers and learners to come and to practise their language in a safe space,” Parenteau said. This is important because students, no matter their age or fluency, should feel like it’s acceptable to make mistakes, she added.

The centre is also running an Ojibwe immersion camp as part of the Indigenous Languages Component, which is run by Canadian Heritage. The project “supports the efforts of Indigenous communities and Indigenous organizations to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages,” the federal government’s website states.

“I think part of our vision for that was to increase fluency in speakers, but also to develop the capacity in our community to teach the language,” Parenteau said.

“Right now, what we’re seeing is that a lot of people want to learn a language online, but there aren’t enough people who are able to do that, they might not have the speaking fluency, or maybe they don’t feel confident in themselves.”

Parenteau said the centre may continue to offer online programs even once people are allowed to gather again because it’s allowed the facility to expand its reach to individuals and communities cannot physically visit the MICEC.

“We’re learning how to connect more with people all across Manitoba,” she said.

To learn more about programs at the Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre, phone the facility at 204-942-0228 or email info@micec.com