Strategic Action 4.5: Involve the whole school in learning and teaching about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, with an emphasis on Indigenous worldviews and land-based education.
Welcome to the Louis Riel School Division’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) 2023-27 action pages. For each strategic action, we are diligently taking steps to achieve our goals. Together, these goals strive to create the best possible educational environment for students, staff, and community. On these pages, you will find answers to two key questions: What have we done so far? And where do we plan to be by 2027?
What have we done so far?
Land-Based Education and UNDRIP
- Initiated pilot program Indigenous Land-Based Education Course at Windsor Park Collegiate, rooted in the framework of UNDRIP. Centered on Indigenous pedagogies, worldviews, and experiential learning.
- Created a divisional SharePoint page focused on UNDRIP resources, including materials to support educators in integrating UNDRIP into their teaching practices.
- Developed Indigenous land-based experiential programming for Grade 6-8 students, focusing on land-based activities and student wellness.
- Initiated discussions with various learning communities across the school division to enhance awareness and understanding of UNDRIP.
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
- Participated in International Development Week activities, aligned with United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, and 17.
- Implemented several school-level recycling and food security initiatives, aligned with goals 1, 2, 4, and 12.
- Participated in the “GO FOR THE GOALS” challenge in January 2024. A Grade 8 student from Nordale School won this provincial contest and was honoured at the legislative building in the presence of the Lieutenant Governor of MB and the Premier. This was part of International Development Week, Feb 4-10, 2024, sponsored by the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, aligning with goals 4, 8, 11, 12, 16, and 17.
- Made connections with Education Specialist Amanda Benson of the MCIC in 2024. Amanda provided Global Goals materials and a PD presentation at a St. George staff meeting. The hope is to further develop Global Goals awareness and a school-led initiative regarding the Global Goals at St. George School.
- Recognized the importance of water and electricity resources in the current LRSD land acknowledgement, which are drawn from areas inside and outside Treaty One, aligning with goals 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 16.
Where do we plan to be by 2027?
Land-Based Education and UNDRIP
- Expand and extended land-based education programs beyond pilot initiatives to include more schools and grade levels.
- Collaborat with the School and Classroom Support Team (SCST) teachers to integrate the principles of UNDRIP into their work across the entire school division.
- Continue to build and maintain the divisional SharePoint page with a robust collection of UNDRIP-related and land-based facilitator resources.
- Expand dialogue with learning communities on how to implement land-based and experiential learning tied to UNDRIP principles.
- Work toward a shared understanding and application of reconciliation in daily operations and long-term planning.
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
- Strengthen and clarify the connections between land-based learning and the lens of the Global Goals; for example, goals 4, 11, 12, 13 14 and 15 are connected to land-based learning, but these connections could be made explicit and strengthened. This does seem to be the intent of LRSD MYSP 4.5.
- Ask schools to complete a survey of current activities/programs that are connected to goals 12, 13, 14 and 15. Thes would include all local recycling efforts, school level land based learning, and a look at the ways we are teaching children about life on land, and life in the water.
- Bring together high-school student leaders who are doing the work of the Global Goals in their schools. Share ideas for ½ day, with the goal being a clearer shared understanding of the goals, and the LRSD work that is ongoing.
- Conduct a "Voluntary Local Review of Progress" to understand more fully the ways that the LRSD works to achieve the Global Goals, following guidelines from the United Nations. For context, see this review released by the City of Winnipeg and partners in 2021.