s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh
Our Ways of Education
Taking back control of our children's education is one of the Nation Building Initiatives of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). Through s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh (Our Ways of Education), we are working to build an education system that demonstrates our values, language, culture, and community priorities.
Interviews With Our People General Community Survey 2024s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh
s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh Introduction Video
Where We Are Now
Community Engagement is Complete
We have wrapped up our official period of gathering community feedback. We connected with our People through surveys, focus groups, youth sessions, one-on-one discussions, and Elder & Knowledge Keeper conversations.
We hold our hands up to everyone who shared their knowledge, experiences, and teachings. This work is only possible because of your contributions.
Writing Our Education Law
We are now writing the first draft of our Education Law. Everything we heard from our community is guiding this work to ensure it reflects our People’s needs, values, and priorities.
- A Strong, Permanent Foundation: Having our own Education Law provides unshakeable roots for Squamish Education to grow in ways that benefit our children.
- Guided by Our People: While the formal engagement stage is done, our community’s voice is ongoing. Our People will always remain at the heart of our education system.
- Built to grow with us: As our community grows and changes, our day-to-day policies, procedures, and programs will adapt to meet our People’s needs, all while staying grounded in the values set by the law.
- What’s Next: We expect to share a draft Education Law with our People for review and feedback in January 2026.
Community Engagement Results
The reports below summarize what we heard from Community Members.
They highlight key themes, priorities, and quotes from our People, as well as areas where opinions align or differ. Together, these reports guide the development of the Education Law and the future of Squamish education.
click on the above to open the document
Squamish Valley Elders: Hope for Our Education System
In this video, we ask Elders in Squamish Valley: “What is your hope for a Squamish education system?”
The Elders reflect on what a school system means to them, their lived experience, and their guidance on what and who we should consider when developing the Squamish Education System.
We raise our hands to our Elders.
Project Team
We want to know what you think
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh education plan is at risk of stalling, and we need your input to move forward. s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh (Our Ways of Education) wants to connect with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Elders, parents, caregivers, and children in the education system.
Your Questions Answered
Yes. The current curriculum aligns with provincial requirements and includes our own teachings. Our goal is to ensure every learner can transition into the public school system at any time and that their Sḵwx̱wú7mesh learnings and ways help ground them in who they are, so they can confidently succeed in a variety of educational systems.
Yes. While we always encourage and want to support planned transitions between schools to minimize disruptions for students, we believe that choosing a school system and learning approach is a personal and family choice. We will always respect that choice.
We are working to realize our dream of teaching our children the best of both worlds, so they can strongly and confidently choose any path in their lives. In the upcoming year, the team will be implementing the Education Law Engagement Strategy.
To learn more, and to receive updates or submit questions, please email reclaiming.education@squamish.net.
It has been a year since 87.5 per cent of Members voted YES in the s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh (Our Ways of Education) Referendum (formerly known as Reclaiming Education), which means that the Nation has entered into an Education Jurisdiction Agreement that will lead to us managing education for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh children.
There is much work to be done and it has been started with passion, commitment, and excitement. Here are three initiatives to advance our journey:
We have put agreements in place to set out the path based on the results of the referendum.
These include signing agreements that define how and when Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw will take back control of education:
- Canada – First Nation Education Jurisdiction Funding Agreement
- British Columbia – Squamish Nation Education Jurisdiction Agreement
- First Nation Education Authority Co-Management Agreement
We have hired a team to plan and implement an engagement process that will bring the community into the process of Reclaiming Education.
There will be opportunities in 2024 for Members to engage deeply and provide feedback on this topic. This process will lead to us drafting new laws around education that are for us and by us.
We have crunched the numbers and created a high-level budget that outlines how much it will cost to implement Reclaiming Education with the Engagement and Implementation Plan.
Concurrently, the feasibility study for expanding on-reserve schools in the Squamish Valley and the North Shore has begun.
Whether you would like to sit down with us for a meal we provide or chat over the phone, we are eager to hear what will help the education of our mén̓men thrive.
Please reach out to the s7ulh wa nexwniw̓éyalh (Our Ways of Education) team to set up a time to share your valuable knowledge and teachings.
Email: reclaiming.education@squamish.net
Phone: 604-982-7600 (ask to speak to the Our Ways of Education team)
As of September 2024, we’ve heard from 802 people in our community through survey responses, Elder one-on-ones, family interviews, lunch-ins with youth, and focus groups.
We are categorizing all the feedback we heard and will do a full report back to community in late Fall 2024.
So far from our survey to community, we heard:
- 3 of 4 respondents are involved in raising Sḵwx̱wú7mesh children.
- Top 3 skills people in an education governing body should have: traditional Sḵwx̱wú7mesh knowledge, education system expertise, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim fluency.
- 9 of 10 respondents said Sḵwx̱wú7mesh students (on and off reserve) should be first priority.
- 8 of 10 respondents said non-Indigenous students are welcome in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh schools.
Between May 1, 2024, and July 26, 2024, we conducted our Reclaiming Education Survey to gather insights from our community. We are grateful to the 551 people who took the time to share their thoughts and experiences. Your voices are shaping the future of education for the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). Now, we invite you to review the findings and continue the conversation. We are seeking participants for one-on-one interviews to dive deeper into these results. Your perspectives will help guide the next steps in reclaiming and strengthening our education system. Please email reclaiming.education@squamish.net to be interviewed.
To review the findings of the General Community Survey, please follow the link here.