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Neek - The YNLC Newsletter

Neek - The YNLC Newsletter

Issue No. 3

February 20, 2025

The Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC) welcomes you to the YNLC Newsletter “Neek” – meaning News or To Tell in Tlingít.

The goal of Neek is to ensure Yukon First Nations, community partners, and the public stay connected and informed about the work YNLC is carrying out to uphold all Yukon First Nation languages. Within each issue, you will find updates on the language initiatives, programming, and projects that the YNLC is leading. Issues will include community spotlights, comics, audio links and more!

300-Hour Intermediate Mentor Apprentice Program

Last year, YNLC launched its first pilot 300-hour intermediate Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP).

MAP is a program that is used by many Indigenous Languages group and is grounded in a natural learning process that pairs a speaker with a learner. Prior to the development of the Intermediate MAP, YNLC and Simon Fraser University (SFU) have delivered 100-hour MAP as part of the Indigenous Languages Proficiency Certificate and Diploma.

YNLC hosted an orientation to ensure we started in a good way, to establish relationships with each other and learn immersion-based techniques to practice with a speaker, as well as independent study methods.

The initial part of the program consisted of 9 Mentor-Apprentice language teams learning Kaska Dene, Dän Kʼè, Dän Kʼí, Tlingít and Gwich’in throughout the territory.

MAP teams at orientation February 2024.

Activity-Based Immersion Approach

The Intermediate MAP is based on learning language through activity-based immersion with a focus primarily on understanding, listening and speaking the language. The speaker and the learner do the activities together, with conversation going back and forth. The idea of an Intermediate MAP program is for the learner to gain confidence speaking with everyday language exposure.

Elder Stanley Njootli Sr. and Sophie Flather demonstrating an immersion set.

Strengthens Oral Proficiency through Conversation

Mentor Apprentice Programs have shown positive impacts for program participants such as improved oral proficiency, strengthening of intergenerational relationships between speaker and learner, as well as improved mental well-being and an increase in learners pursuing further language learning opportunities.

Duration

The program provides opportunities for Intermediate-level language learners to focus on speaking and understanding their language in everyday and cultural contexts, by working one-on-one with a Language Mentor or Fluent Speaker for a total of 300 hours over the 9-month program. The goal is to spend 10 hours per week in intensive learning in the target language.

Mentors are paid an hourly wage for their time and knowledge, and apprentices receive a stipend upon every 100 hours of completed time with the speaker, along with an oral assessment to demonstrate their learning. Apprentices are eligible for credits through Simon Fraser University upon completion of an oral assessment.

Elder Annie Bernard and her apprentice, Winnie Blake.

YNLC YouTube

The Yukon Native Language Centreʼs YouTube page hosts videos in Yukon First Nation languages! From digitized Haa Shagoon videos to weather reports in language, the YNLC YouTube page is a great way to hear the languages and those from your community. Accessible video resources help connect with and celebrate the strength of our languages.

Visit the YNLC YouTube page here and subscribe to be connected when new videos are posted: https://www.youtube.com/@yukonnativelanguagecentre270

Video of Kaska Dene speaker Dakēlī Hammond Dick sharing the Raven Eater story in Kaska.

Community Language Highlight

KDFN Southern Tutchone Language Revitalization Program

Awakening Southern Tutchone through a community centered approach, Kwänlin Dun First Nation (KDFN) has started a new 6-month intensive Southern Tutchone Language Revitalization Program that offers a unique opportunity to gain a Certificate in Language Proficiency from Simon Fraser University, in collaboration with the Yukon Native Language Centre.

The program includes 9 university courses, starting with a 4-week immersion course where students are immersed in the language for 6 hours a day, mimicking how much babies hear the language. This immersion course emphasizes oral retention before progressing to reading and writing skills.

Students working with recording equipment

Students are currently working on phonetics, the alphabet, writing systems and pronunciation and will be taking part in an on the land immersion camp where cultural activities are done in the language. During this time students are also learning about the technology that supports language documentation and preservation and makes language accessible to a wider audience.

At the end of March, the cohort will take a grammar course learning about sentence structure before embarking on another immersion course for 6 weeks, and a second on the land immersion camp. This immersive experience aims to deepen language retention and its connection to culture.

Students with their Immersion Course Completion Certificates

It is important to include celebration throughout the program to acknowledge milestones and build confidence and a sense of community in the cohort. Students are excited, they are speaking Southern Tutchone and doing great in their first few weeks.

Students are even speaking Southern Tutchone to each other in the community and already making Southern Tutchone TikTok’s on their own time for fun!

KDFN Southern Tutchone Language cohort January 2025

Meet our Staff

Connie Jules

Language Training Officer

Yakʼê yagi. Yidát, yì ìn kakkhwanîk, axh shagûn, łingít xhʼênáxh, Khàganê yû xhat duwasâkw, łingít xhʼênáxh, Connie Jules, dlèt khâ xhʼênáxh. Dakhłashà yê xhat yatì. Dèsłìn daxh yê xhat yatî.

Axh tlâ Khàshdáxh Tlâ yû dusagûn, łingít xhʼênáxh, Minnie Jules, dlèt khâ xhʼênáxh. Du tlâ, axh łîłkʼw, Skaydu.û yû dusagûn, łingít xhʼênáxh, Graffie Jules dlèt kha xhʼênáxh. Axh tlâ du îsh, Tsʼitás yû dusagûn Kaska xhʼênáxh, Charlie Jules in English. Axh îsh Khashdúkh yû duwasâkw, łingít xhʼênáxh, Ralph Smarch, dlèt khâ xhʼênáxh.

Axh yátxʼi, dàxʼùnínaxh yatì. Axh síkʼ has, Tludanêxʼi kha Skaydu.û yû duwasâkw, łingít xhʼênáxh, Santana Jules kha Skaydu.û Jules, dlèt khâ xhʼênáxh. Axh yîtkʼ has Kètlshà îsh kha Khàshdáxh,łingít xhʼênáxh, Rod Smarch kha Blayde Smarch, dlèt khâ xhʼênáxh.

Axh yejixhané, yidát, Yukon Native Language Centre. Chʼa àn khu.á, nahîsʼadí kaxh Tu Łidlini Sgûn, jìdáxh. Axh tùwú yakʼê, yâxʼ yê jixhanêyí.

De áwé.

Gunałchîsh

Click here to see translation.

Upcoming Dates to Note:

February 3 - April 10, 2025: Kaska Level 3 (Online)

February 18 - 20, 2025: Kaska Language Gathering

February 24 - 26, 2025: Northern Tutchone Gathering

For more information on these events, contact [email protected]