YELLOWKNIFE (March 10, 2014) – Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS) will see an expansion of their Dô Edàezhe Program through the Education Renewal and Innovation initiative (ERI). Dô Edàezhe was developed to address concerns for YCS students that were disengaged from their schools, at risk of or already dropping out, and facing other challenges in their lives.

“The Yellowknife Catholic Schools Dô Edàezhe program was designed to develop resiliency and leadership skills in at-risk youth and has succeeded in meeting many of its goals,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty. “One of the core commitments of ERI is addressing student wellness, and we have seen much more engaged, attentive and confident students emerging from this Dô Edàezhe program over the past five years.”

YCS presented a funding proposal to ECE describing the program’s success and their conviction that it is a promising practice that can be adapted and scaled to the entire territory. In response, ECE provided $623,000 to replace funding coming to an end and ensure the program’s continued delivery. The funding will let YCS strengthen the Dô Edàezhe program in their schools, develop a manual of practice and expand the program to new communities on a trial basis. Careful evaluation of the program’s success in selected pilot communities will determine the possibility for further expansion across the territory.

One commitment of ERI is to build on successful programs that work in a particular community or region by expanding the program into other communities and regions across the Northwest Territories. The wellness of students and communities has been highlighted as the most critical factor for success in education through ERI research and engagements and has become a particular focus in the first stages of ERI action.

Dô Edàezhe is a Tłįchǫ expression describing a person who is capable, skilful and knowledgeable – a person who has the skills they need to survive in the world in the traditional Dene sense. This program is an evidence-based Northern best practice and is one of the first ERI initiatives to emerge from the development of the ERI Framework.

For more information on the ERI initiative, visit www.ece.gov.nt.ca.

For more information:

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Education, Culture and Employment
Phone: (867) 920-6222
Email: jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca