Indigenous Summer Literacy Camps 2 0 1 9 N a T I O N a L R E P O R T
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INDIGENOUS SUMMER LITERACY CAMPS 2 0 1 9 N A T I O N A L R E P O R T C E1L E B5R A T I N G Y E A R S TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover photo: An older camper reads a story to younger campers at Pacheedaht First Nation Acknowledgements ..............................…........................................................................................................................3 Summary .......................................................................................…...................................................................................4 Highlights .........................................................................................................................................................................…5 How camp works ..............................….............................................................................................................................6 Impact on campers ...........................................................................................................................................................7 Impact on communities .............................…..................................................................................................................10 Success and growth ...................................................................................................................................................….14 Letters of support ..............................…...........................................................................................................................15 Conclusion ..............................….........................................................................................................................................23 Appendix A: Camp communities ................................................................................................................................24 Campers in Webequie First Nation, ON, in front of their art wall ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In 2019, Frontier College was privileged to deliver Summer Literacy Camps across Canada, from coast to coast to coast (see Appendix A). We would like to thank all the children, parents, Elders, and community members who helped to make this summer a success! Thank you to our funders and partners for your generous support! Air Creebec Let’s Talk Science Air Inuit Makivik Corporation Air North Manitoba Ministry of Education and Training Alberta Ministry of Education Manitoba Ministry of Indigenous and Municipal Relations BC Ferries McCain Foundation BC Hydro Mining Matters Birch Narrows Dene Nation Mosaic Forest Management Boeing Company North Star Air Brilliant Labs Northern Lights School Division Canadian North Nunastar Properties Fund for Northern Children Carrier Sekani Family Services Nunatsiavut Department of Education CEDA Winnipeg Nunavut Department of Education Cenovus Energy Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. Ontario Ministry of Education Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation Ontario Power Generation City of Saskatoon Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation CODE Ontario Teachers’ Federation Community Initiatives Fund Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan Cree School Board Power Workers’ Union Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation Rotary Club of Winnipeg David and Patricia Morton Family Foundation Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Ebb and Flow First Nation Health Authority Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice Eel River Bar First Nation Scholastic Reading Club Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Slaight Family Foundation Elmwood Community Resource Centre Slate Falls Air Elsipogtog First Nation Stantec Consulting Ltd. Employment and Social Development Canada Tachane Foundation Inc. File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council Taloyoak Community Wellness Fund First Book Canada Tobique First Nation Geoffrey H. Wood Foundation Touchwood Child & Family Services Hatchet Lake First Nation United Way of Lethbridge & South Western Alberta Healthy Horizons Foundation United Way of the Lower Mainland Hydro One Networks Inc. United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Wasaya Airways Jackman Foundation Waywayseecappo First Nation Kativik Ilisarniliriniq Winnipeg Foundation Frontier College acknowledge s TD Bank Group as lead national sponsor of this program. 3 SUMMARY In 2005, under the patronage of the Hon. James Bartleman (then-Lieutenant Governor of Ontario), Frontier College and a group of Northern Ontario First Nation communities established a program of locally led, community-based summer reading camps. The goals of these camps was to reduce students' summer learning loss, improve access to books and print materials, connect young people from the north and south, and foster greater community involvement in children's literacy and learning. Since then, the National Camp Program has reached 52,000 children and youth across Canada. The growth and evolution of the camps reflects each community’s belief in the long-term impact of literacy on well-being: higher literacy is linked to reduced poverty, a stronger economy, healthier and more engaged citizens, and a higher quality of life. We are excited to share with you impact results from the 2019 Summer Literacy Camps! Campers celebrating books in their reading garden at Bearskin Lake First Nation, ON “The camp seemed to really understand that literacy is not simply reading words on a page, rather it is a holistic approach that involves all forms of communication. Learning to follow the instructions of a new physical activity, the investigative/creative process experienced through arts and crafts, and the social interactions among peers all played a key role in creating an environment that was full of learning experiences.” —Parent/Teacher in Nunatsiavut 4 HIGHLIGHTS 2019 marks the 15th year Indigenous communities across Canada have partnered with Frontier College to provide Summer Literacy Camps. This summer, we worked with 140 First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities to reach 7,689 children aged 5-12. AB BC MB NB NL NT NU ON QC SK YT The Summer Literacy Camps include a range of educational activities to help kids explore the many ways that words and numbers are part of their lives. A few favourite activities at camp this year included: STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experiments and activities. Campers “Campers loved all the awesome STEM activities! STEM learned about hydraulic systems, visited space activities were the most engaging for the children. and science centres, created slime, grew plants, Volcanoes, tie dye, bubbles and baking, and slime.” and built volcanoes. —Camp Counsellor, Beaver Lake Cree Nation, AB Community field trips. Across Canada, campers visited local farms, zoos, fire departments, police “My daughter wants to become a teacher when stations, paramedic and nursing stations, and she’s done school, and my son wants to become a radio stations, among other sites. Campers police officer.” learned about the different roles people play in —Parent, Slate Falls First Nation, ON their communities, and were inspired to think about their own future careers. 5 Nationally, Frontier College has been collecting a wide variety of data on camps for over 10 years. In 2017, Cathexis Consulting Inc. reviewed a sample of that data to better understand the impact of the program. By combining evaluations from campers, parents, camp counsellors, and teachers, they concluded that camps positively impact students and communities. "The camps are achieving their intended purpose. Survey results strongly indicate that campers make progress in a number of areas, including reading habits, academic readiness, school performance, attitude to school and learning, self-confidence, literacy/numeracy skills, and social skills. A review of research studies conducted on other populations suggests that these short-term outcomes will help campers to live more successful lives in the long-term." —Cathexis Consulting Inc., Impact Evaluation of Frontier College’s Summer Literacy Camps (2017) 6 IMPACT ON CAMPERS In order to ensure that the camps are achieving their goal of reducing summer learning loss, Frontier College keeps a daily record of how much time campers spend reading and what sorts of learning-enriched activities they take part in. In 2019, campers spent an average of minutes of daily engaged reading can help minutes a day reading. kids maintain their grade level over the 92% of parents surveyed reported their summer, which increases their chances 1 kids were also reading more since going of completing school, leading to better to camp. life outcomes in the long term. "As simple as it sounds, reading books can reverse the summer slide in literacy skills. […] Giving kids 12 books to read over the summer was as effective as summer school in raising the students’ reading scores. […] Regardless of family income, the effect of reading four to five books over the summer was large enough to prevent a decline in reading-achievement scores from the spring to the fall." 2 —Annie Paul Murphy, author of Brilliant: The New Science of Smart “I read seven books today. I want to read a “Camp has made a positive hundred books over difference for the children since summer!” —Camper, it started in the community, Kuujjuaq, QC be“cAa ucsaem ipt ehre slptos ptpheed k imdes learn whtiole r ereaadd ainngd aw srtitoery.” “Camp has helped my a—nCda vmolpu nCtoeuenrseedllor, grandson have more interest Hotlloo wre Wada utes