Paddle carving, fish skin tanning, junior golf!

River boat building, culture camps, trades, and more golf!

Cooking camps, canoe and river safety courses, media training, and welding!

Horse pack training, northwest coast art, paddling instruction, and bentwood box making!

Fish netting, cutting, and drying, Moosehide gathering, and fish leather tanning!

First Nation Education Advocates have been working steadily in their schools, reconnecting with learners and creating welcoming spaces where students can come to connect and feel supported. This week, Elijah Smith Elementary invited our advocates to provide hunting demonstrations for grade 3/4 classes. The demonstrations incorporated Tlingit and Southern Tutchone language and teachings, creating an opportunity for learners to experience culture, language, and traditional knowledge together. The demonstrations were a huge hit!

Word spread quickly throughout the school, and now other classes are asking for a chance to participate. It is wonderful to see so much excitement from learners and school staff around bringing First Nations culture, language, and land-based knowledge inside and outside the classroom!

This fall, all learners at seven Yukon public schools are receiving daily, nutritious hot lunches as a result of funding from the federal government’s National School Food Program. The program is a partnership between YFNED and Government of Yukon, whereby our Nutrition Program cooks the meals either on site or at our commercial kitchens for five of the participating schools.

Kids and families are responding positively to the daily lunch service, which serves both Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids. Although it’s a fantastic program, the funding is not enough to replace the cancelled Rural Nutrition Program, and is set to expire in June 2027.

Indigenous learners in all Whitehorse schools continue to receive nutritious meals and snacks through the Jordan’s Principal funded Urban Nutrition Program.

All families with Indigenous kids aged 0-5, whether registered with our program or not, are welcome to attend our drop-ins. There will be snacks, activities, beading and knitting supplies, and a chance to see our space and meet the Early Years team.

If you have any questions about the monthly activities, email EarlyYears@yfned.ca, call 867-667-6962 ext. 123 or check out www.yfned.ca/EarlyYears.

We are located at 420 Range Road.