Action Area 1: Education, Training, and Employment
Focus Area A: Curriculum Development and Deployment
Promote and support the development of post-secondary courses and degree programs in Indigenous languages.
Memorial University Department of Linguistics working toward reactivating Indigenous language courses
Memorial University’s Department of Linguistics has offered courses in Inuttitut using a co-teaching structure where a faculty member supports an Inuit Elder in sharing their language knowledge. This is a course-delivery model that could be expanded to Mi’kmaw and Innu-aimun. However, recruitment and retention have been a challenge. Most fluent speakers of Innu-aimun and Mi’kmaw do not live in St. John’s and budgetary challenges limit Memorial University’s ability to attract knowledge carriers to the area.
While members of the urban Indigenous community of St. John’s agree that university courses alone will not revitalize Indigenous languages, courses such as these are one tool for sparking interest and growing knowledge in young Indigenous people, as well as building familiarity among non-Indigenous individuals.
First Light’s Culture Camp 2026 sparks interest in Indigenous Language Revitalization
For Memorial University:
- Work toward the establishment of language proficiency courses in Innu-aimun and Mi’kmaw, dedicating sufficient resources to support language carriers.
- Continue to build support for language carriers to guide students in learning Inuttitut.
In March 2026, First Light held Culture Camp with a specific focus on Indigenous Languages. Culture Camp brought people together to spend time with culture through language and shared learning, creating space for connection, reflection, and relationship-building. Gathering of Voices was the first event in this year’s Culture Camp and storytellers and attendees sparked interest in Indigenous Language Revitalization between community members and in representatives from supportive outside organizations who attended. Conversations and events like these are foundational in building some momentum to support Indigenous languages and associated services in St. John’s.
We’re Indigenous and Still Here (WISH) summer student focuses on Indigenous languages
For the summer term of 2026, First Light retained a summer student through the SSHRC-funded project, We’re Indigenous and Still Here (WISH). This summer student curated a library of language resources for First Light, contributed to research on language revitalization, and created multilingual signage for First Light’s headquarters and the Lunar Inn.
Action Area 1: Education, Training, and Employment
We envision a city where all residents have a sound understanding of the diverse histories and cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador and where they mobilize such understanding to close gaps in education and employment outcomes. To realize this vision, we call on all residents of St. John’s to help advance change in the following ways: