Signing Off & Headed Home ! (*cue tears*)
Hello Readers,
We have much to catch up on as initiative has finally come to a close. The Fort Providence program for 2015 is sadly over. Let’s recap our past week and a half and share some wonderful photos from our time here.
Firstly, last week our teaching focus was sexual health and puberty in all grades. In the grade 4/5 class, we split the boys and the girls and did 2 lessons each on the topic of puberty. We found it really made things more comfortable to separate them, and they had great questions! We explained the changes that occur in both males & females, as well as had a further focus on menstruation for the girls. For puberty week in grade 6/7 class, we also split the students up. The boys were taught by another teacher while we focused on the the girls. We talked about puberty, sexual anatomy, contraceptives, safe sex and consent. These lessons were more informal, as we really emphasized a relaxed, safe-space atmosphere. In the grade 8/9 and high school classes we focused on the topics of safe sex and consent. A highlight was demonstrating how to put on a condom using a banana and practicing the 10 Steps to Safe Condom Use! We had a lot of fun teaching this topic and even though it's a sensitive topic we did have many students ask important questions.
That week we learned from Shanna that we had been invited to join our five Grade 6 students during their Spring Resiliency Camp in Hay River. FUN!! We were so excited to join our students! The grade 6's were a blast to teach and consisted of the most generous, hilarious students we have ever met! During camp, the students participated in a 5 day workshop that focused on leadership, communication and teamwork that included kids from several communities. Some of the students from Aklavic told us they had travelled over 12 hours and had to fly in to partake!
Camp was jam packed full of activities and games that challenged the students and encouraged them to think outside the box and get outside their comfort zone! It was truly an amazing experience to watch our students confidence grow as leaders each day. We were SO grateful to have had this experience, there was never a shortage of laughs and good times, we love our grade 6 crew and it looks like they had fun too!
Presently, we are in Kingston getting ready to debrief with other Peer Educators who also spent 6 weeks up north. We will spend time discussing the wonderful adventures we had on initiative, share photos and also talk about some of the more difficult moments of initiative. This is our first year hosting an official debrief so we are excited to be a part of that.
Once again, we would like to thank all of our sponsors, our families, friends and everyone else who have encouraged us and provided support. Also, to all of the teachers, students and all of the community members who made us feel so welcome in Fort Providence – THANK YOU! It was both a pleasure and a privilege to meet and work with the residents of Fort Providence.
Signing off one last time,
Xoxo M & E LOVE FT P
