13th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research

Presentation Abstracts

KING, Virginia, CARTER, Bob, BRIMBLECOMBE, Lorraine and TURVEY, Sandra

The First Peoples' Project

The First Peoples’ Project connects indigenous students on 5 continents in collaborative writing and art projects. It allows students to explore their own culture and learn about the culture of other indigenous groups around the world. Some goals of the project are:
To help indigenous youth preserve and be proud of their cultures.
To help indigenous youth feel less isolated through connections with other indigenous groups throughout the world via telecommunications.
To help indigenous youth use communication tools and publication to explore their lives and cultures.
To encourage cross-cultural understanding, and to counteract attitudes and behaviours of dominating cultures.
To help indigenous youth feel empowered to create positive change in the world.
To create meaningful links between indigenous communities and their schools.

All activities and initiatives carried out in the First Peoples' Project rely on the endorsement and approval of recognized authority within the relevant indigenous communities. All portrayals of traditional stories, whether in written or visual form, undergo an approval process with community elders and/or cultural officers of local indigenous organizations. This approval relates to both the accuracy and cultural sensitivity of student work.