The Yekooche First Nation sits in the thick of north-central B.C.’s wilderness, about 75 kilometres along a dusty logging road from the small forestry town of Fort St. James.

Wendy Drummond, training coordinator with the Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies at RRU

The land of snow-peaked mountains and glacial valleys is remote by any standard, but Wendy Drummond makes the long drive from Victoria to Yekooche (Portage) about every two weeks. The arrival of her truck signals another session for the Yekooche Learning Centre, another session for community members to explore the technology.

Drummond, a training coordinator for the Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies at Royal Roads University, runs the Yekooche Learning Centre, a compact lab with six computers that is fast becoming the most popular place in community.

On the opening days in March, a few curious band members used the computers to check e-mails and surf the Internet. By July, people lined up first thing in the day to work on increasingly sophisticated projects that are already benefiting the community.

“We’ve seen some inspiring successes,” Drummond says. “We have people interested in the technology and are learning computer applications very quickly as they help each other advance. Learning about the technology has also bridged the gap between the families who have been in conflict with each other for many years. The learning they are engaged in and the fact they are working together is an important step.”

The Learning Centre is part of a larger effort to build individual and community self-governance capacity. After 12 years of negotiations, the Yekooche are in the Final Agreement phase of the treaty process. If and when that agreement is signed, the Yekooche Nation will be responsible for administering a large swath of land and resources, and for promoting sustainable economic development.

Last year, the Yekooche First Nation and Royal Roads University signed an agreement to establish an e-learning centre as the basis for skills training, set up and supported by RRU’s Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies and IT department. The Yekooche First Nation, federal and provincial governments and private industry funded the project and RRU contributed services and supplies.

Maybelline John helps set up the Yekooche computer lab

Doug Hamilton, RRU’s chair of faculty development, is heading up a research project on adapting the distance-learning framework to the needs and interests of the Yekooche people. Hamilton’s project involves developing videotaping and interviewing skills to capture Elders' stories and traditional skills. The project is funded by a grant from the Canadian Council on Learning.

“Support has been amazing,” says Drummond, “We couldn’t be ‘here’ without it.”

With a recent funding announcement of $93,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education in July, the five-year project has now secured the funds to continue to send Drummond to Yekooche for at least another year.

The Yekooche reserve, totalling 180 hectares on the north-west side of Stuart Lake and accessible only by logging road or boat, is largely isolated from the outside world. Residents have little access to education past elementary school. Often, going to high school means leaving the community and moving to Fort St. James.

Early in the project, the Learning Centre was primarily a source of entertainment for many in the community, with little relevance to education. Yet only weeks after opening its doors, Drummond has seen Yekooche members embrace the technology in profoundly creative ways.

The Learning Centre inspired one young man to improve his reading and writing skills after he discovered his ability to develop and record his own music. Another young man created a video presentation capturing the spirit of Yekooche youth. Both men began mentoring and coaching their friends, creating a cascading effect of curiosity and learning. Others are upgrading office computer skills or figuring out how to develop business plans, one for log home construction and another is considering possibilities of a commercial garden.

The lab has now become so popular, Drummond has parlayed computer time into community service work. During the summer months, Yekooche members earn two hours on the computers for every hour invested working in the community garden. The enthusiasm extends across generations. Elders drop in routinely to chat about the technology and often sit in the middle of the lab, content to watch the young people learn new skills.

RRU’s chair of faculty development Doug Hamilton is working on adapting learning projects with the Yekooche

“Elders have shared that the young people are walking and talking differently, that people are excited about possibilities and about the future,” Drummond says. “That they have a sense of accomplishment and curiosity about what happens next.”

Right now, the lab is open only when Drummond is on site, 10-12 days out of every month. She says the community supports the project and understands the Learning Centre is a Yekooche asset. Sense of ownership is high, as is the sense of responsibility for the centre.
 
It is anticipated that Yekooche members will eventually take over the centre’s operation, maintenance and management as time and skills progress. Drummond says that neither she nor Royal Roads will be there in perpetuity.
Drummond says it’s not about Royal Roads having a long-term presence in the community.

"It’s about being there long enough for the Yekooche to embrace and manage the technology. It’s about being there long enough for the Learning Centre to become an integral part of community life.”

For the next year, Drummond will be helping members continue to develop skill sets that relate directly to governance and employment with emphasis on developing economic opportunities in the community such as tourism, retail, and community support services and exploring additional educational opportunities.

“The next stage is about creating community activities, working in teams to continue developing the capacity for taking on administration and governance roles.”