Back to School Picnic - In the News

Backpack picnic gives aborignals a head start

With supplies for classes, children receive a message: Stay in school

Matthew Gauk, Times Colonist

Published: Sunday, August 19, 2007


	Brothers Calvin George, 6, and Silas George, 4, try on their new backpacks at Aboriginal Picnic yesterday. Photograph by : Darren Stone, Times Colonist

A Victoria agency that serves urban aboriginal children held a picnic at Rudd Park yesterday as a fun way to hand out 550 backpacks full of school supplies to low-income aboriginal families.

More than anything else, organizers wanted to send a message to young aboriginal people that their parents and community want them to succeed in school.

"There's a lot of isolation for aboriginal people living in the city," said Shelly Johnson, CEO of Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services.

"This is an opportunity for people to come together, there's a lot of visiting that happens that maybe wouldn't otherwise happen ... a lot of people struggle every year to find the money to put their children back to school with the costs of clothes and backpacks and school supplies." The picnic has come a long way since it started five years ago. Only about 150 people showed up at the first picnic, a far cry from the 700 estimated at this year's. One reason for that is funding.

The picnic's $26,000 budget, which includes the cost of the backpacks, comes from a $63,000 grant from the provincial Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, said picnic organizer Yasmin Ali.

In addition to the backpacks, given to families that pre-registered, volunteers took down a waiting list with at least 130 names for those who missed the pre-registration.

"So there's quite a need in the community for it," said Ali.

The backpacks' contents were based on school boards' lists of supply requirements for each grade.

Students walked away with about half or three-quarters of what they need to start their year, Ali said.

For elementary school students, it was $35-$55 packs full of felt-pens and pencil-cases. For high school students, it was more-than- $100 packs full of three-ring binders, looseleaf paper and even scientific calculators.

The message of encouragement for staying in school is needed, said Johnson.

"What we do see is a lot of the children from kindergarten to Grade 7, large numbers of children in that grade category, and then our children kind of drop off at grades 8-12," said Johnson.

"What we're trying to do is change that, encourage them to stay in school. It's really important that they know their community is behind them." There are 1,350 aboriginal students in the Victoria school district, about 900 in the Sooke district and 400 in Saanich's district, according to Johnson. As of 2005-2006, the last year for which figures are available, 76 per cent of non-aboriginal students in the Victoria district were able to get their high school diplomas within six years, according to the Education Ministry. In the same time period, only 36 per cent of aboriginal students received their diplomas.

Johnson said things are improving, however, and aboriginal children are feeling more welcome in public schools. Racism and the residual effects of residential schools are still big hurdles, but Johnson believes they can be overcome by dynamic educators who hire aboriginal staff members and try to reach out to aboriginal parents.

Angie George was at the picnic all day with her four kids. The youngest two, six-year-old Calvin and four-year-old Silas, are going into Grade 1 and kindergarten at Craigflower Elementary in September.

"I asked them if they wanted to get up and come to the picnic and they got up right away," said George.

"They both really enjoy going to school and Silas is happy because he'll be going all day with his brother." George talks to her kids about their futures. Her 14-year-old daughter wants to be a nurse when she's older, and George takes the opportunity to remind her of what she needs to do in school to get there. Her 13-year-old son wants to be a professional lacrosse player.

Providing educated, successful role models is part of what Surrounded by Cedar tries to do. Its staff and board of directors are encouraged to further their own education, and Johnson is pursuing her PhD.

Last year, Johnson created a 16-month calendar highlighting the achievements of local aboriginal women. She slipped one calendar into each backpack as a way to remind parents and kids what they can do with a good education.

This year, it was the men's turn, from artists to military veterans. Johnson said she's tired of the stereotypical profile of aboriginal men, which, she said, couldn't be further from the aboriginal men she knows, who are hardworking, family-oriented and always giving back to the community.

Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007