In Pikogan, a project has been put in place to support the sixth-grade students of the Migwan school at a crucial stage of their journey: the transition to secondary school. Each year, this transition represents a real challenge for these young people, as they leave an Anicinape school environment to join a non-First Nations institution with vastly different cultural references.
Designed in close collaboration with the community, the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the Territoire et Environnement team and Anicinapek elders, the project aims to prepare students for this transition by strengthening their cultural identity and their connection to the land.
Rooted in culture and the land
This unique program is built around immersive workshops where traditional knowledge, the Anicinape language, and science meet. By helping youth reconnect with their roots, we give them the tools to grow with confidence, pride, and resilience.
One of the initiative’s most impactful highlights is a trip to Lake Chicobi, the ancestral home of the Anicinapek. On site, students are introduced to trapping practices by one of the community’s master trappers, along with an ecology student. Together, they learn to read the tracks of lynx and hare, set snares, and explore the forest, as previous generations knew how to do.
Medicinal plants, at the crossroads of knowledge
Other workshops showcase the wealth of Anicinape knowledge about local medicinal plants. Students learn their names, uses, and benefits in an approach that combines oral tradition, scientific observation, and language learning.
Growing with pride, guided by roots
Beyond the practical lessons, the project also aims to foster self-confidence and cultural belonging. By reconnecting with their land and history, young people learn to understand that their culture is a living, current, and essential asset in the development of their future.
See faces, highlights, and memories from this inspiring project in this video shot in 2023. Watch the video on Facebook here.