October 6, 2024 – Celebrating with Community

On October 4th, we gathered in Vanderhoof to celebrate the conclusion of the Koh-Learning Research Project, a collaboration with UNBC and School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes). I joined this group during the latter half of the project. The project lasted for 6-years with different graduate students, faculty and teachers like myself, and K-12 students. The project leader, Dr. Margot Parkes, had a vision about connecting health, the watershed, and student learning and leadership together to engage in a community-based research project. The project was land-based, student-centered, and culturally responsive.

I played more of a “supporting-actor” role and eventually a person who enjoyed taking pictures. I attended a few summer gathering events and participated in the bimonthly meetings online. The celebratory event was super well and I appreciated all those who were able to attend the event, but also for all those who were a part of the Koh-Learning project in some way. I loved hanging out with the two UNBC students, were were former SD91 student voice students, that night to help facilitate the evening event and to get to know them a bit better. I love their ambition, hope, and connection to this place and land.

In some ways, I wished that I had the capacity to be involved more with Koh-Learning, but on the other hand, I feel that things happen exactly the way it should. You can’t force things to happen, but you can open the window or door to make things happen. That’s what I appreciated about this research group. I loved that their willingness to create and innovate, to discover and explore, and to implement with all hands (i.e., K-12 students, graduate students, teachers, faculty, researchers, local experts, and community members). Knowingly or not knowing, overtime I am more inspired and willing to go outside, to explore, and push boundaries so that we can understand the land, place, and ourselves.

I am also working with a group of teacher candidates investigating the value of land-based pedagogies and student wellness… and teacher wellness. Although not exactly like the Koh-Learning in Our Watersheds, but this project can learn a lot from what Koh-Learning has achieved over the last 6-years. I’ve met so many wonderful people from this project and I am grateful that I was able to celebrate part of my birthday week with friends. What’s looming in the horizon is what’s next? I hope to share the seasonal rounds video created, that is, a digital story to conclude the project, but what will Koh-Learning 2.0 look like? There is definitely some interest from folks from UNBC and SD91. I guess it’s TBD.