Nibinamik First Nation Student Experience

Our school, Nibinamik Education Centre, is currently planning and fundraising for an end-of-year experience for our Grade 7/8 students. Please read or find out why we need your help!We worked hard to fundraise in 2019/2020 for an educational experience in June 2020, however, due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic, we had to postpone organizing a trip until this year when it was safe for students to travel. Many students have felt discouraged not being able to have this experience for the past 3 years, but we hope to make it happen this June with your help. We would like to give a huge THANK YOU to those who donated in 2019/2020 on our last page. The donations have been saved for this year's trip and are reflected on our new GoFundMe page.In Spring 2023, we are determined to bring students from Nibinamik First Nation to Southern Ontario. The students at our school go through a lot of hardships, more than students in most city schools. Low-income family situations, depression and suicide are among many of the issues our student's experience in their lives, and this is at the elementary school-age level. At times, students miss school to take care of their younger siblings and take on more responsibility than 12 to 14-year-olds should. We want to help make their futures a little brighter, and we invite you to partner with us to help our students reach their goal! About Where We Live Nibinamik First Nation, also known as Summer Beaver, is a small Oji-Cree First Nation reservation in Northern Ontario, located 500km north of Thunder Bay. Nibinamik is an isolated community with no road access and is connected to the rest of the province by its small airport and a winter road that can only be used during winter months. Currently, the living conditions in Nibinamik are very poor. There has been a drinking water advisory for the community since 2013. Currently, the houses students and community members live in are overcrowded, sometimes with four generations of family members under one roof, non-insulated, and worn down. Most, if not all, houses in the community have long-standing mold issues, and some don’t have any running water. In 2017, CBC News came to Nibinamik to do a story about the housing issues that can be read about here. The Cost The cost of the trip, and our fundraising goal, is approximately $60,000. The cost is high due to the price of flying from Nibinamik to Thunder Bay, and then to Toronto. Being in a remote, isolated community, we have no access to roads and the only way to leave the community during the spring is by plane with Wasaya Airways. If you would like a breakdown of the costs please let us know. Our Fundraising Our school and community have been working hard for the past year to raise funds for this trip. Since our community is extremely small, there is only a limited amount of fundraising we can do to reach our goal of $60,000. As of October 2019, we have raised $35,000 with the help of parents, staff, and students, a subsidy grant from the Ontario Young Travelers Program (OYTP), and of course, the many generous donors who donated in 2019/2020 on our GoFundMe page. In Nibinamik, our school puts on bingos, draws, bake sales, 50/50 draws, and flea markets to help raise funds. We also reach out to the Health Department, Band Office, and our local corner store for support. We will be continuing to raise funds until our deadline of May 1, 2023, but are reaching out for support from others to help us reach our goal. The Experience Our students have a lot of stress in their lives, and we want to help give them an experience that they will remember for a lifetime; an experience that will help them see what the world has to offer outside of Nibinamik. Students will fly from Nibinamik to Thunder Bay, then to Toronto. The students and the chaperons, which will include teachers and parents, will be staying in a residence at the University of Toronto. The duration of the trip will be from June 4 to June 10, 2023. There will be approximately 10-15 students, aged 12-14, as well as 4 chaperons going on the field trip. Students will have the opportunity to visit various sites across Southern Ontario, many of which are educational. Since many students have never left Nibinamik, it is extremely exciting for them. In Toronto, students will get to experience the Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, the Ontario Science Centre, Queen’s Park, Medieval Times, Ripley’s Aquarium, Canada’s Wonderland, the Hockey Hall of Fame, learning how to ride the subway and even get the chance to attend a Blue Jays game! In Niagara Falls, we plan to take the students to Lock 3 at the Welland Canal, Fort George, the Laura Secord Homestead, Brock’s monument, the Hornblower (Maid of the Mist) boat tour, and Clifton Hill. Many of the site visits during the trip will include educational learnings about history, science, art, sport and more. The students will get to experience places they’ve never seen before, and witness for themselves that the world is much bigger than what they think in terms of career possibilities in the future. Your Support We are currently reaching out to organizations and individuals that are willing to help make a difference in these students’ lives; students who have no choice about where they live, the water they drink, the housing conditions they live in and the opportunities that are available to them, being isolated from the rest of the province. The opportunity to go on an adventure like this will help them set goals for their future with regard to finishing high school or even attending college or university. Every little bit helps. Whether you can help in a big way, or small, we welcome you to partner with us to make this dream a reality for our students! We teach our students that one of the most important things in life is to help those around you, your community, outside your community and the world. Students will see that strangers, people who don’t even know them personally and even live far away, are willing to help make their dreams come true. We know that your help will inspire them to think about what they can do to help others in the future. Following the trip, the students are excited to share a video compilation capturing their experience, thanking you at the end of the video, and sending you or your organization personalized thank you letters and cards. We are thankful that you, your friends, your family or your organization would consider helping our students. If you are interested in doing more than just an online donation, such as organizing a fundraiser in your community or workplace, please contact us to discuss how you may be able to help us reach our goal, and take these students on an educational experience of a lifetime! Sincerely, Dave Mossman Teacher Nibinamik Education Centre