A program for Indigenous students in Surrey to connect with community and culture is at risk of ending.
Skookum Windspeaker is a Surrey Schools program for the district's Indigenous youth from Grades 6 to 12. Currently, 350 students are part of the program, according to a release from Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee (SUILC).
“Through the program, I have learned about my history and culture. Sometimes, there is a disconnection between us and our histories, but I’ve been able to learn to be one with the natural world,” shared Misha, a student who has participated in the program for two years.
The organization says Surrey has the largest Indigenous student population in B.C., making the potential cut of the program even more devastating. Roughly 10 per cent of the district's total number of Indigenous students benefit from Skookum Windspeaker, SUILC adds.
Having been a part of the district for more than a decade, Skookum Windspeaker's future is now on unsteady ground.
Funded through the Surrey Youth Resiliency Program which is federally supported, it is unknown whether that funding will continue.
SUILC says funding is not promised long-term and so the program may only have one more year left of providing the space for Indigenous youth, with April 2026 as a possible end date.
Originally, Windspeaker was only for senior high school students but has since expanded to younger ones as well. Participating students get to partake in various activities and learning opportunities, including drum making, snowshoeing, kayaking and cedar weaving, all in order to bring them closer to traditional knowledge.
The Indigenous Youth Leadership Council at Surrey Schools has called for more land-based learning opportunities, so seeing Windspeaker being cut would go directly against this action call, the organization adds.
“Indigenous students want their teachers to care about Indigenous intergenerational trauma, evaluate how safe school spaces are, and celebrate Indigenous success and identity,” said Lyn Daniels, director of instruction for Indigenous Learning at the district and co-chair of SUILC.
The Windspeaker program also gives students a chance to connect with Indigenous Elders and learn of the history of the Kwantlen, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
“I would love to see everyone be able to join the program if they want to,” said Dawn Kalenuik, facilitator for the program.
“It would be great if each grade had a cohort. But, ultimately, it comes down to resourcing.”
