YNLC Conducting Language Events Next Month in Ross River

Thursday, 21 February 2019 12:53

Multiple events will be occurring next month in Ross River, including a First Nation language app workshop, a Kaska storytelling competition and a mentor apprenticeship program

The Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC), a partnership of the Council of Yukon First Nations, will be conducting a First Nation app development workshop, a mentorship apprentice course and a Kaska storytelling competition next month in Ross River.

The events will be in partnership with the Ross River Dena Council and YNLC Curriculum Developer Krista Dempster and contractor Dan Shorty will be attending the workshops.

Yukon Native Language Centre coordinator Tina Jules says multiple events around the Kaska language will be taking place in the community.

"On March 4th to the 8th we're going have an app development workshop that's going to be right in Ross River. Then, March 9th to the 10th, we are going to deliver the first part of the master apprentice course. On March 18th to the 22nd, w'ere going to have a Kaska language wake with a big storytelling competition on Friday. Finally, the second second part will be the follow-up to the mentor apprentice program."

Shorty says the app development project to help with Kaska language revitalization has been taking place in Yukon over the course of four months in Yukon, and is the continuation of a longer project that has been occurring in British Columbia in partnership with Simon Fraser University.

"Currently, it works with IOS devices and in about a year we should deliver an Android version. We started in November but we came in late on the project. It started four-and-a-half years ago in British Columbia as well."

Dempster highlights how the YNLC built app helps give greater accessibility for First Nation language learners, including in various environments outside the home.

Tina Jules says the Kaska language apprenticeship program taking place between March 9th and 10th is a first of its kind in Ross River.

"It's a really effective program for learners that aren't able to go to classes or that don't want to go to formal classes. The beautiful thing about that program is the language learners are learning directly from their speakers. So, what we do is we go and deliver the orientation and we show how we set up this program that's about your own language learning. This particular course is a non-credit version that we will be delivering in the community for the first time."

According to the Yukon Native Language Centre, Kaska is spoken in multiple communities in southeastern Yukon and northern BC, including Lower Post, Fireside, Good Hope Lake, Dease Lake and Muncho Lake.