Dr. Black and Greenfield awarded grant

Nipissing University’s Dr. Glenda Black, associate professor at the Schulich School of Education, and Mair Greenfield, community service learning officer at the Office of Aboriginal Initiatives, have been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Ministry of Education for a project that will support Aboriginal adult learners and their families with their transition into the Nipissing First Nation and North Bay area.

The project, titled Biidaaban: Supporting Transitions into Community, aims to provide support to parents who are attending post-secondary education in being engaged in their children’s academic achievement and wellbeing. This support is provided through a series of academic and cultural support workshops, orientations, and tours at the campus, the community, and classrooms throughout the academic year.

Biidaaban, an Ojibwe term meaning ‘the point at which the light touches the earth at the break of day,’ symbolizes the meaning of new relationships.

The program offers three groups, Biidaaban Youth Group, Cultural Teaching, and Homework Assistance, so that parents and youth can attend the group that suits their family best. Groups are lead by Nipissing University student volunteers, Office of Aboriginal Initiatives Staff, Traditional Teachers and Elders, Biidaaban Community Group at Enji Giigdoyang, on select Thursday’s from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Biidaaban: Supporting Transitions into Community is a collaborative effort between the Schulich School of Education and Biidaaban Community Service-Learning at Nipissing University.

Funding for the project was earned through the Ministry of Education’s Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Regional/Provincial grant. Ontario's PRO grants encourage parent engagement at the local, regional and provincial levels. They are designed to support parents in identifying barriers to parent engagement in their own community and to find local solutions to involve more parents in support of student achievement and well-being.