A ceremony was held on Dec. 10 at the Island Gospel Church to celebrate the completion of the first year of a Nadut鈥檈n language proficiency program run by Lake Babine Nation (LBN), and affiliated with Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT). A total of 20 students from earned their language certificates.
鈥淭he program is a four year program, two years is taught locally and the courses are based on Nadut鈥檈n and Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n dialects and culture,鈥� said Louise Lacerte, who along with being a teacher in the program, is in charge of language and culture for LBN.
鈥淭he 20 graduating students will start the next level in January, which will be the diploma level. After they complete the two years locally, they have the choice to obtain a degree of their interest. We are hoping they go for their education degree so we can increase the numbers of teachers we currently have,鈥� she continued. The program also offers the opportunity for teaching certification in language and culture.
The course is part of a pilot program with First Nations groups and NVIT, and is the first of its鈥� kind. According to Lacerte, LBN is one of only five First Nations groups in B.C. to be a part of the pilot program. The first year of the course was mostly comprised of LBN members, though Lacerte told Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that a few of the students were Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n members as well.
