Leanne Hudson Creates Indigenous Culture and History Resource Through Internship with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
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Second-year 黑料老司机dent Leanne Hudson is hoping her internship project with the will help address the gaps in Indigenous culture and history in the province鈥檚 public school curriculum.
The project, 鈥淚ntegration of Indigenous Culture, Knowledge, and Traditions鈥 鈥 A guide for understanding New Brunswick Archives and Indigenous History in New Brunswick, Canada鈥攁vailable in and 鈥攊s a publication that contains history on individual Indigenous communities in New Brunswick, geography, Indigenous names and language, as well as significant Canadian and provincial events.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a book that鈥檚 filled with Indigenous history with the goal of educating students, professors, educators鈥攅verybody,鈥 Hudson said. 鈥淚 call it the 鈥楻eader鈥檚 Digest version鈥 because it鈥檚 brief but it鈥檚 more digestible which will hopefully make it easier to learn from.鈥
Hudson, who is studying Communications and Public Policy, Native Studies, and Human Rights, was the lead on the project. It was researched, prepared, and put together by her.
The inspiration for the project came from Hudson鈥檚 own experience in the public school system in Nova Scotia.
鈥淚t was difficult for me to not see my culture recognized in my schools. In high school, I started advocating more and gained a better understanding of my culture, and I felt empowered to figure out why there were these gaps in public education and Indigenous culture,鈥 she said.
鈥淲hen I had this opportunity, I took a look at the New Brunswick curriculum and was able to connect with some people within the public education system on this project. It鈥檚 very much intended for public school educators to be able to digest and turn into material they can teach students.鈥
While the resource was created with educators in mind, Hudson is hopeful that those who want to learn more about Indigenous history and culture will also find it useful.
ACCESS THE RESOURCE HERE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH
A Direct Connection to in-class Learning
Hudson, who was given this opportunity through Indigenous Experiential Learning at 黑料老司机, has found direct connections between her in-class learning and the work she鈥檚 done with the Provincial Archives.
鈥淐ommunications links directly with this project especially the promotion strategy,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been taking things I鈥檝e learned in class鈥攅ven things from this September鈥攁nd using them in this project.鈥
Taking on a project of this magnitude has helped Hudson develop skills in organization, time management, content management, and sensitivity, as well as refine practical skills in writing and critical reading.
It also provided an opportunity to work within a government organization, something that she wasn鈥檛 sure would be a possibility.
鈥淚f you read the resource, you鈥檒l see a lot has happened between Indigenous groups and the government, and it can make it hard to be in those places,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 had this opportunity鈥攊t was an amazing opportunity鈥攁nd the Provincial Archives really embraced what I had to offer. They鈥檝e been supportive and confident in this project, and now they鈥檙e willing to help me even more by making sure people see it and learn from it.鈥