Youth Podcast Launch

The Youth Podcast launches Tuesday, March 29 at 1 p.m. (EDT) with the initial series of conversations entitled: “Our Community, Our Choice.”

Guests of the first two episodes, podcast host, organizers and representatives of supporting partners are participating. The podcast is a youth-driven platform providing a voice for students and graduates of Indigenous Institutes in Ontario. The goal of the podcast is to help inform the work of the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council, the quality assurance organization for nine Indigenous Institutes across the province.

Three podcasts have been produced, an introductory segment and two conversations with Indigenous Institutes, with capacity for on-going episodes. The host is Naomi Robinson of Wolf Lake First Nation, who started the series with dialogues with two graduates of the Anishinaabemowin Language Revitalization Program at Seven Generations Education Institute out of Northwester Ontario.

 “It’s an honour to be part of something positive, to discuss real issues with my generation about how our education can improve,” Naomi said, referring to the process of ensuring content and teaching methods meet the needs of the learner and the community. “They need to know what works and what doesn’t. It’s a rare opportunity to share personal experience and be heard by the people shaping the future of postsecondary education. There is so much we can do by talking to each other in a straight forward but constructive way, sharing our thoughts with good intentions.”

River Henderson is in Episode 2 while Jeremy Andy is in the Episode 3, with the first installment exploring the purpose of the series and giving a brief history of the Indigenous Institutes pillar.

The plan is to have in-depth conversations with students and graduates of a variety of Indigenous Institutes, sharing their unique experiences and their thoughts on the importance of community-based and culturally-relevant education. Broader issues in Indigenous education will also be among the topics explored.

The Youth Podcast comes from a suggestion from youth involved with IAESC’s student conference held in Toronto in the winter of 2019.

The podcasts will be free and accessible to listen to at www.iaesc.ca/student-circle and on Apple Podcasts.

Contact info@iaesc.ca if you know anyone who may be a good fit for a podcast conversation and has a unique or otherwise important perspective to share.

For more information on the Youth Podcast or the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC), please contact info@iaesc.ca or 1-833-25-IAESC (42372).