Waubageshig (Harvey Andrew McCue) of Georgina Island First Nation in Ontario was appointed as a member for his contributions to the health and well-being of Indigenous youth in Canada and for his leadership in education.
“I’m thrilled to the moon and it came as a real shock and surprise. I’m quite honoured,” he said.
Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, he said he noticed there weren’t many programs in schools for Indigenous kids.
“There certainly wasn’t any academic content and that’s weighed on me quite heavily after I completed my education.”
He helped found and develop the Native Studies Department at Trent University in 1969 and taught there for 14 years.
Two years ago he and a small team created a 24-module curriculum on suicide prevention for First Nations youth, which has been brought into a number of First Nations school in Canada and the United States.
This year he created a kindergarten to Grade 12 history curriculum for the Long Lake 58 community, located 250 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont.
“That curriculum will help the young people at Long Lake really strengthen their understanding of who they are, where their roots are, how their community came to be, and their connection to their Anishinaabe history and culture,” he said.
“These activities and projects have been very fulfilling for me and their objective is to work to increase the health of very young people and contribute to their further self knowledge.”
Photo submitted by : Waubageshig was appointed to the Order of Canada after working in education for over 50 years. (Submitted by Waubageshig)
Chippewas of Georgina Island