The room itself may be only 646 square feet, but the feelings of acceptance, representation and culture it has contained within its four walls over this school year is much bigger.
Staff and students at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie’s northeast end officially welcomed the opening of an Indigenous Lodge late last spring.
And as the awareness of its existence has grown, so has the number of students using the space on a daily basis, said Shyanne Woodcock, an Indigenous graduation coach with the Simcoe County District School Board and a member of Curve Lake First Nation.
“It’s been very much a success,” Woodcock said. “A lot of my students have accessed it daily and multiple times a day … for food, cultural support, one-to-one support, academic support … Whatever they need to on that day.”
Jorga Lamoureux, whose family hails from Beausoleil First Nation, is one of those students who have found comfort in what's referred to simply as “The Lodge.”
“I showed up one day … and I never left. I can get my work done and Shyanne is a great help with that," said the 16-year-old student, who's in Grade 11. "It’s also a mental health thing. If I want to talk to her, she will listen."
Lamoureux says the space also helps foster an environment where students feel respected and can learn about their culture without being judged.
“It’s a space where students are free to express themselves and are free from harm and discrimination," she added.
The board has been growing the Indigenous education department, said Eastview principal Tyson Maxwell, explaining it started with an Indigenous social worker who was a strong advocate for creating a space where Indigenous students could connect and that was representative of their own identity.
“From that, we looked at how we could facilitate that within the building and worked with the Indigenous department to get some desks and materials," he said. "We also worked with the principal of Indigenous education and the superintendent on how to increase staffing so we have representation here.
“The overall goal has been to increase the sense of belonging for our Indigenous student population, as well as to educate the rest of the student population about Indigenous culture and history," Maxwell added
The Lodge at Eastview is the second of its kind in the city and the fourth within the board, said Woodcock, adding Barrie North Collegiate, Twin Lakes Secondary School in Orillia and Georgian Bay District Secondary School in Midland all have similar spaces.
Currently, the Grove Street East school has approximately 50 Indigenous students, but since opening the space have had students come in and share their own backgrounds more openly. It’s also provided an opportunity for staff to learn how to better incorporate Indigenous learning in their classroom.
“It circles back to our teachers, too … so when we are looking at the pedagogy piece and how we are teaching to the class, we are making sure we are incorporating the diversity of our student body into the classroom and their pedagogical practices," Maxwell said. "It allows teachers to come down and ask questions and understand.”
By doing so, Maxwell says they can begin to build that information into classroom teaching.
“Students are learning about that piece of history that is more diversified potentially than what we were exposed to as kids," he said. "Our teachers appreciate it.
"When you think of English and English literature … it used to be that old European style of literature and now we have a whole course dedicated to Indigenous literature focusing on Indigenous writers, culture and history to be able to talk about those pieces with all students," Maxwell added. "Our teachers always want to support our students and support their growth and reach that goal of graduation, so this is another tool in their toolbox.”
The Lodge is typically open each school day to any student or staff member who wants to pop in, said Woodcock, who is now on site full-time and there to provide students with whatever type of support they may need.
“It allows Indigenous students to have a place where they have representation of self within the walls of their school," she said. "They’re allowed to practise their smudging, they’re allowed to practise their cultural traditional practices … and feel welcome doing it because they have a group of friends that are doing it with them here.
“It’s also beneficial for the non-Indigenous students to open up that understanding," Woodcock added. "I’ve noticed that when (students) come in, they’re bringing groups of every kid in the school (and) not just Indigenous kids. Through that, it’s building the capacity and that’s the important part of this. It’s for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to come together and build that inclusiveness, and that belonging within the school environment and community.”
Woodcock says she has witnessed a big change in many of the students who use The Lodge regularly, saying she’s seen a definite shift in their confidence levels.
“A lot of our ancestors … were shamed. It wasn’t OK to be Indigenous. Now, they’re seeing this space where they’re accepted and honoured,” she said.
Woodcock says she has also witnessed that positive change in their academic success.
“I have seen kids come in here and at the beginning not having much self-confidence, or feel like they have the ability to succeed," she said. "Then when we are sitting here and they have that 'aha moment' … because all they needed was someone to work with them in a different way. I feel like I've seen it (improve) tenfold.”
The inclusion of this type of space inside a school represents a “big shift” in student and staff learning, acknowledged both Woodcock and Maxwell.
“We just shifted the notion of what an educational space is,” said Maxwell
“I never had anything like this growing up and it makes me feel like I am giving back to my people and my community by doing this kind of work,” added Woodcock. “As much as I teach the students, they teach me too. They hold a lot of sacred knowledge that has been passed down from their ancestors so it’s like a reciprocal relationship.”
