Mitho-Pimachesowin (Earning a Good Living): Training Aboriginal Youth for Readiness in a Blended Economy

Abstract

In order to enjoy a good life (mitho-pimatisiwin) and earn a good living (mitho-pimachesowin), Indigenous youth must receive innovative education and training to obtain the skills necessary to find suitable employment. Many Indigenous youth in Canada live in poverty and face challenges in obtaining suitable employment in and outside of their communities. In order to address the poverty cycle and high unemployment of Indigenous youth, the author engages the reader in various Cree concepts, discusses a blended economy training approach, and presents a hypothetical education training model whereby Indigenous youth are trained to work in a blended economy. This blended economy consists of both local economic and Western economic industries. Training within this blended economy will take place within Indigenous communities and will incorporate and utilize the Indigenous community as a whole in the training of Indigenous students. The Cree concept of wahkootowin (or wâhkôhtowin) is the basis to guide this training. In training students utilizing the grassroots community, students will be able to learn through traditional methods and learn their culture and use cultural concepts to learn valuable skills in a way that is innovative and unique to Indigenous People. It is the hope of the author that Indigenous youth will attain the self-confidence to achieve the dreams and goals that may have been previously unattainable. With new approaches to learning such as those suggested in this article, there is a brighter future for our Indigenous youth in Canada. This article is a chapter in the open textbook Indigenous Self-Determination through Mitho Pimachesowin (Ability to Make a Good Living), developed for the University of Saskatchewan course Indigenous Studies 410/810 and hosted by the Northern Review.