Why Bear Clan volunteers are learning a new language
Volunteers with the Bear Clan Patrol are learning to speak Ojibway as a way to connect with the community they serve.
“At Bear Clan we’re looking to do more along the lines of cultural and traditional things,” said Kevin Walker, interim executive director of the Bear Clan Patrol, in an interview on Monday.
For five weeks, an Ojibway language instructor is walking with the group on Sundays to teach volunteers some common phrases, the alphabet and even how to make bannock.
Some of the phrases they are learning to say include: do you need help and can we offer you water.
Walker explained the instructor is providing a hands-on learning experience that’s focused on engaging with the community.
“[It’s] taking the classroom out of the teachings. It’s really a great experience for us,” Walker said.
The group also plans to learn some other languages as well, and is planning to partner with a Cree language instructor next month.
Walker said it’s important for the group to be able to connect with the city’s most vulnerable residents, adding that there’s a lot of Indigenous people in the community they serve. He said it makes a difference to interact with people in their own language, as it makes them feel more comfortable.
“I think it’s important that we try to include all the dialects if we can,” Walker said.
He added that the Bear Clan is dedicated to getting involved with Indigenous cultural and traditional practices.
“We’re trying to bring back as much and offer as much culture as we can,” Walker said.
- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.