LONGLAC -- What was once formally known as Longlac Lake Reserve #77, is a small Anishnawbe (Ojibway) First Nation located in Northern Ontario. It is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Geraldton on the Northern Shore of Long Lake, immediately south of Long Lake 58 First Nation and the community of Longlac.
Ginoogaming First Nation is a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nations in Northern Ontario and Matawa First Nations. Within their community, and as of Jan. 31, 2020, they have 980 registered band members of which 200 reside on-reserve.
The Ginoogaming First Nations Training Centre offers programs in Education, Health and Childcare; providing education programs for their students in municipalities including: Greenstone (Longlac Ward) at Our Lady of Fatima, Marjorie Mills Public School, and Migizi Wazisin Elementary School. Secondary students also attend Geraldton Composite High School (Geraldton Ward) with some of their students also attending Migizi Miigwanan Secondary School, who have had some of their graduating students attend post-secondary education.
Just recently, Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School in Longlac, shared the fact that their community Ginoogaming First Nation Training Centre was offering a great leadership opportunity for students.
On Feb. 16, 2022, GFNTC, invited students interested in a leadership position with their organization, to join them for supper at the Training Centre that day, and to take advantage of the opportunity to become the voice of youth by sitting on their new Ginoogaming First Nation Student Council.
While there, students were provided with nomination packages for the following positions: president, vice-president, secretary, health director and cultural director.
School shared the fact that their community Ginoogaming First Nation Training Centre is offering a great leadership opportunity for students.
On Feb. 16, 2022, they are inviting students interested in a leadership position with them, to join them for supper at the Training Centre for 4 p.m.
Students that attend will have the opportunity to become the voice of youth by sitting on their new Ginoogaming First Nation Student Council.
They invite all interested students to come enjoy supper and learn more about establishing this new student council.
This endeavour was just one of the many ways in which Ginoogaming First Nation Training Centre demonstrates the work that they do in their communities, to not only encourage students to become leaders, but also by promoting their language, culture, traditions and history.
Students in their community, through the partnership with both Superior North Catholic District School Board, and Superior Greenstone District School Board, offered an after-school immersion program giving students of all ages the chance to learn Anishnaabemowin virtually. This program started on Feb. 16, 2022, and gave students who enrolled the opportunity to learn while engaging with others.
The partnership and relationship they have with their Community and the Schools in the region, is an important example of the way in which promoting Indigenous language, culture, traditions and history is definitely a key goal for Ginoogaming First Nations Training Centre.
This year, the GFNTC reports that this year’s Summer Placement was at an all-time high according to Ginoogaming First Nation employment records. More than 40 per cent of their youth are currently employed by them.
They continue to make it known that their main objective to having a Youth Council is to ensure that the youth of Ginoogaming First Nation have a unified voice within their community.
In their most recent Newsletter, the GFNTC, featured a “Message from Council”, in which included an update on many things and offered an overview of the past year. Their Council shared some of these thoughts:
“Boozhoo! Health and greetings from beautiful Ginoogaming First Nation. It’s been almost a year and a half since COVID-19 began impacting all of our lives—we’ve had to stay home and refrain from the gatherings we know so well. Some of us have had our loved ones become ill and sadly pass away from this virus. We are now getting over the third wave of the pandemic and with the vaccination clinics well under way, we hope to have some of the restrictions we have been under slowly lift.”
“On behalf of our council, we would like to congratulate all of our graduates who persevered to achieve your goals and we are so proud of your accomplishments. Our ancestors used arrows to survive and today education is another form of an arrow as you all will be our future leaders who will take Ginoogaming further than where we are today, I feel very comfortable for the future as you all are doing what good leadership would be doing.”
