Students from Balcarres, Bert Fox Community High School, Cowessess, Grenfell and Chief Paskwa have created their own magazine called, “Kitoskâyiminawak Pîkiskwêwak: Our Young People Speak: Treaty Edition”.
This marks the third year the magazine has been created and published.
The first year’s edition focused on leadership, while the theme of the second edition was healing.
The First Nation and Metis Education Coordinator for the Prairie Valley School Division, Sandy Pinay-Schindler, says the project didn’t just involve division schools:
“It is all students writing in a professional magazine. We have six schools involved — three First Nations schools and three Prairie Valley schools and about 200 Grade 10 students were involved in some way through photography or writing.”
She says the magazine covers everything from lands In disputes to self-government and racism:
“One of my primary goals is to help students acknowledge the local knowledge keepers in their communities . . . just rebuilding that connection between the young people and the older people in their communities.”
Pinay-Schindler adds students were thrilled to be first time authors.
Copies of the book are $15 and are available at the Prairie Valley School Division office.