Denise
Chavez leads the Voc-Ed Horticulture program at HAECC in the Chateguay Valley.
This year she created a very interesting new endeavour, incorporating a study
of local, native plants and their traditional uses. Ms. Chavez has a friend
with this knowledge who lives in a nearby Mohawk community, a teacher at the
Kahnawake Survival School (KSS).
With
his help, and support from the new CLC Coordinator Jayme McClintock, a field trip was
arranged for the 10 Voc Ed students to visit KSS and learn in a hands-on way
about native plants. McClintock saw this as part of a larger CLC goal to
increase positive relationships between the school and Mohawk neighbours,
“There are many aboriginal communities’ nearby to HAECC, but not much
understanding or connection between them and our mostly non-Aboriginal school
population.”
To
apply their new knowledge, the students then partnered with Heritage Elementary
School CLC and worked with 30 elementary school students and several community
members to plant a garden. Ms.Chavez agreed that some students typically disengaged took more initiative during this project.
Making
this connection to the KSS has helped to further both student
and teacher knowledge of Mohawk culture. Ms.Chavez added, “Creating this
relationship to help further our understanding of the culture is a very
positive benefit, and to have a positive opening with the KSS for future projects.”
Organisers
noted that with such community-engaged projects one has to be very committed and engaged because, “A lot of things come up that push projects aside. Be
prepared to take 2 steps forward and one step back!”
