THUNDER BAY - The transition to high school can be stressful and overwhelming for some students. For a group of Grade 9 and 10 students at one local high school, that transition is being made a little easier by some very valuable lessons to help them feel welcomed in the city of Thunder Bay and discover some of the services that are available to them.
On Tuesday, 25 Indigenous students from Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute took a tour of the city on Thunder Bay Transit with stops that included the Waverley Resources Library, the Canada Games Complex, the Indigenous Friendship Centre, and the Thunder Bay and District Health Unit.
“It’s about creating a safe and welcoming environment,” said Superior vice-principal, Andrew Foulds. “In Superior, we have more than 100 Indigenous students and it’s really important that we showcase where they can go and participate in really positive activities not just within the school board but the city as well. We want them to feel welcome and we want them to feel safe.”
A presentation was also given by the Thunder Bay Police Service and Crime Prevention Council to teach the kids about some of the dangers in the city, how to stay safe, particularly around area water ways, and what is being done to keep them safe.
“I hope we can educate some of the kids, maybe discourage them from hanging out in some of these areas, especially while intoxicated, and just making sure everyone stays safe,” said Const. Brooke Pilley, who spoke with the students.
“I think a lot of these students are new to town, they may not be familiar with some of the areas and they are all at an age where influences come into play,” Pilley said. “We’ve all been there. We just want to make sure that everybody has some knowledge to work from, some safety tips, and talk about some of the issues we have been having that are not necessarily pretty and things we are working on and that we hope to change in the future.”
This is the first time a tour like this has been offered by the Lakehead District Public School Board and Foulds agrees the city is facing some challenging issues, which is why these lessons are so important for students, whether they are travelling to the city for school, or have lived in Thunder Bay all their lives.
“I think the education system has a role to play in trying to meet some of those challenges,” Foulds said. “It doesn’t matter if you are Indigenous or non-Indigenous, the transition to high school can be very tough. If you are moving from a smaller community to Thunder Bay, or a smaller community to a high school that may be larger than your community, that transition can be tough. We have a role to manage that transition and try to make it as positive as possible.”
For grade 10 student, Alena Hunter, the tour was really interesting and showed her what the city has to offer.
“It’s important to get people involved, kids involved, youth, because they need something to do,” she said. “It’s important to teach kids about safety because they need that safety and if they need help or anything, they can look up to people.”
Foulds said he hopes this program will continue and more schools will use this model to educate students about what the city has to offer, how to stay safe, and make the transition to high school that much easier.
“I think this is a program that can be emulated across the city and that is my ultimate goal that we can continue to do this,” he said.
