911吃瓜

Bonnie August, her husband Gordon Anthony and their two daughters have all just graduated with a Certificate in Indigenous Language Proficiency from the Indigenous Languages Program (INLP) at 911吃瓜. The family is part of the Eastern Secwepemcts铆n language cohort in Chase, British Columbia. 鈥淭his certificate program became a true family success story for us. Together, my husband, our two teenage daughters and I all worked hard and successfully completed the certificate as a family. Our daughters began the program at ages 14 and 17, completing it at 15 and 18.鈥� 

Bonnie and Gordon鈥檚 daughters had an excellent experience at the during their primary education. Says the school, 鈥淲e help children to develop a positive sense of self through learning our language and developing academic and social skills within a community-based setting.鈥� 

Chief Atahm School and 911吃瓜鈥檚 Indigenous Languages Program are partners in offering the . Bonnie shares that it was her daughters who inspired her to pursue studies with INLP, and that they were encouraged to learn Secwepemctsin by a family friend, . 

Bonnie explains that though it was challenging to fit in classes and studying while also working full time, which she overcame with careful scheduling and meal planning, it was ultimately worth it to invest the time and energy into the program. 鈥淲e started and practiced that at the start of classes. One of my favourite lessons was learning about signs (sign language) to help remember the sounds and words.鈥� 

The family would like to recognize those who spearheaded and facilitated their language learning program. 鈥淲e took this certificate program through a partnership between Neskonlith Indian Band and 911吃瓜. partnered with , a language society that did much of the heavy lifting when it came to curriculum, instructors and planning. Dr. Natalie Clark and Dr. Janice Billy from Wum茅c r Cqweqwel煤tn-kt Community Society worked really hard at supporting students.鈥� 

Kemal Denman, a member of Adams Lake Indian Band and fellow graduate of the Secwepemcts铆n cohort, offers congratulations to Bonnie and Gordon鈥檚 family, highlighting the impact and power of intergenerational community learning. 鈥淲hen we centre the learning of our languages in community, we are reconnecting to our Ancestor鈥檚 ways of teaching, emphasizing intergenerational support and knowledge.鈥�

For Gordon and Bonnie, the opportunity for in-community language learning is highly valuable. 鈥淲e are incredibly proud of what can be achieved through family support, commitment, and working toward goals together. We hope our story inspires other families and youth to believe in their abilities and pursue opportunities together.鈥�