Literacy awards to become an annual event

Shayla Tootoosis is the recipient of the first ever youth award handed out by the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network.

 “Sometimes young people are kind of missing out either from their own life situations or from expectations that they feel they can’t meet at the time in their life in the education system,” said Carol Vandale, executive director of SALN. SALN held its gala and awards at the Dakota Dunes Casino recently, honouring leaders in the world of literacy.

The new Youth award is significant because it is often assumed young people are learning but that isn’t always the case, said Vandale.

Tootoosis, 15, who goes to Winston Knoll Collegiate in Regina and is from Poundmaker and Little Black Bear First Nations, said she always strives to do her best in reading and writing and loves to help others. She plans to go to university and hopes to one day be part of a disaster relief team.

Vandale said it isn’t easy being a young person and focusing on school, and she says the same goes for adults and the Learner award.

Gail McAdam from the Big River First Nation won this award.

“I just can’t say enough about how much this kind of award means to them. It acknowledges their effort, their courageous effort in some ways, because it takes a lot to admit that you need to go back to school,” said McAdam.
The 28-year-old mother of seven returned to school in 2007 and has worked hard to complete her Adult 12 at SIAST. Her children were her motivation: she wanted her kids to have someone to look up to and know the importance of school and that they can accomplish anything if they try.

June Pedersen won the Elder award for literacy. A retired school teacher, she now works in the Saskatoon Correctional Centre with inmates. She gets them to write in journals.

“What their feelings are, just something that they can write about, that’s easy to write about...and what experiences they’ve had either on the street or with families or with the social system,” said Pedersen.

She singled out the writing of one of her clients. “He talks about walking 20th Street and feeling less than the dirt on the pavement. He talks about not wanting to go home to the family because if he goes home, there’s drugs and drinking, and there’s no family ties. You know, just things that are bothering him like that....if they don’t want to talk about it, sometimes they can write it down.”

Pedersen hopes to compile all of the writings into booklets and get them published. She thinks those books could make a difference.

“It’s life. It’s their life, and I think if they write it down, and they let more people become aware of the lives that they’ve been through, maybe there won’t be so much of the judgmental stuff that goes on,” said Pedersen.

Edward Mirasty, Lac La Ronge Indian Band, won the Practitioner award, and the One Arrow First Nation won the award for Business/Organization.

SALN organizers said the awards will be held annually. The last awards ceremony took place two years ago.

Photo caption: June Pedersen was awarded by the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network.