Pictured above: Shamattawa Education Authority Roy Miles, along with his young daughter, presenting educational material provided by the MFNERC

Manitoba First Nation Educational Resource Centre (MFNERC) worked closely with The North West Company Inc. (North West) to provide educational materials to early learners in First Nation communities across Manitoba, to help continue their education from the comfort and safety of their homes.

In June, the MFNERC reached out to North West, seeking assistance to distribute learning material packages to 14 First Nation communities. Each package contained educational board games, toys, and books for children up to age 6. North West was pleased to rally to the cause and provided the assistance needed to get the learning packages to the communities.

In each community, the Northern store manager worked with MFNERC’s community school contacts to coordinate the distribution of the packages. North West assisted with the distribution in the following communities:

·         Bunibonibee Cree Nation

·         Garden Hill First Nation

·         God’s Lake Narrows First Nation

·         Little Grand Rapids First Nation

·         Manto Sipi Cree First Nation

·         Northlands Denesuline First Nation

·         Pauingassi First Nation

·         Poplar River First Nation

·         Red Sucker Lake First Nation

·         Sayisi Dene First Nation

·         Shamattawa First Nation

·         St. Theresa Point First Nation

·         Tataskweyak Cree Nation

·         Wasagamack First Nation

“MFNERC is pleased to provide hands-on materials for Nursery and Kindergarten classrooms,” said Virginia Arthurson, Associate Executive Director at the MFNERC. “The early years are a time for exponential learning and growth, and these materials will support inquiry and play-based learning which are aligned with First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. We thank The North West Company’s assistance in making this distribution possible.”

The MFNERC provides leading education, administration, technology, language, and culture support to First Nation schools in Manitoba. Established in 1998 by the Assembly of Manitoba Chefs (AMC), MFNERC has evolved into a multifaceted organization that meets the needs of Manitoba’s First Nation schools with a variety of support services.