maskawatsiw – miciwin (Food That Gives Strength)
June 4
1:40 – 2:40pm
Room 519B
This session highlights our Traditional Foods in Schools program, which brings bison and elk into school hot lunch programs as a meaningful step toward food sovereignty and reconciliation. Guided by a Youth Council for Reconciliation, Indigenous youth play a central leadership role in the program through a grant they obtained, guiding our program, and reconnecting food systems to culture, land, and community. This program is being offered throughout a public school division.
The program’s long-term goal is to build strong partnerships with Indigenous communities to transition toward serving locally and traditionally harvested foods, including wild big game such as moose, elk, fish, and culturally significant plants like morel mushrooms, fiddleheads, wild berries, and wild rice. By reintroducing traditional foods into schools, this initiative supports decolonizing students’ diets, revitalizing Indigenous food ways, and strengthening land-to-table relationships. Participants will learn how youth leadership, community partnerships, and culturally grounded food systems can transform school nutrition while honoring Indigenous knowledge and stewardship of the land.
Bio:
JAMIE CHALIFOUX is a Cree Métis from Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. He comes from the historic community of Grouard, Alberta, located along the shores of Lesser Slave Lake. Jamie was raised with strong connections to traditional teachings passed down from his parents, grandparents, and Elders. He is an active harvester, hunter, and regularly participates in ceremony, grounding his work in lived cultural practice. Jamie currently serves as the Indigenous Education Lead for High Prairie School Division, where he supports meaningful, respectful, and culturally grounded learning for students and staff. Jamie was the recipient of the inaugural OKIMAW Knowledge Seeker Award in 2022 for his continued effort to learn, grow and share the knowledge that has been generously shared with him by Elders and Knowledge Keepers
BRENNAN MCDONALD is the District Principal of High Prairie School Division. He oversees the development of Hot Lunch programs, vertical farming integration and supports the graduation principals through CTS and micro-credential development to build individualized education plans for all students. I enjoy finding ways to help students graduate with a meaningful purpose when they are done with High Prairie School Division.