First Nations Circle of Knowledge & Practices Conference 2024

First Nations Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing

First Nations cultures, etiquette, laws, and philosophies have helped First Nations Peoples progress into the 21st century. First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing have enabled communities to survive on this land. First Nations societies have always been richly diverse. Our enduring worldviews are relevant in today’s urban-centric environment and can support First Nations youth as they embrace opportunities in their present and future. 

The role of educators is to prepare students for the road ahead. For First Nations youth, this can mean building up, reinforcing, and strengthening pride and confidence in who they are and where they come from. The goal is to push back against the purposeful erosion and pulling down of First Nations cultures and worldviews by Canada. The very ways of knowing, being, and doing kept their ancestors alive and allowed them to become the strong nations and individuals present at the time of first contact. 

This year’s Circle of Knowledge and Practices (CKP) workshops and presentations are infused with First Nations worldviews, along with skills and strategies that today’s teachers can use to enhance their classrooms. Teachers and school staff must become familiar with First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing so they can properly interact with students and enrich their modern teaching methods with the local worldview. 

The CKP workshops will provide opportunities for teachers to learn more about First Nations knowledge, skills, and values, so they can teach their students to be proud of who they are and reach for their goals, all the while drawing on the values and traditions that have carried First Nations peoples into today’s world.