A conversation between Jodi Johnston, York Region District Schoolboard, Kerry-Anne Charles, Cambium Indigenous Professional Services and Dr. Ryan Plummer, Brock University.
Jodi Johnston is a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, Ontario. Over the past 15 years she has traveled and made her home in many towns and small First Nation and Inuit communities across Canada. Jodi has worked extensively as an outdoor education teacher and spent large portions of every season guiding, paddling and snowshoeing in Temagami. Jodi Johnston is an honours specialist in Outdoor and Experiential Education from Queen’s University and holds an honours Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies from Brock University. She has spent the past 12 years working in education in student success programs, outdoor experiential education and alternative education with Indigenous students across Ontario, Labrador and Nunavut. Jodi is currently the Ojibwe language Teacher and Regional Consultant for First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education (FNMI) at York Region District School Board. She is the Indigenous advisor for the outdoor ed committee, has her Master Educators Leave No Trace certificate and instructors, ORCKA Instructor Level 2, Wilderness First Responder, and is an Outdoor Council of Canada paddling, winter camping and hiking certifier & instructor.
Kerry-Ann Charles is a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and has been a Team member of Cambium Indigenous Professional Services (CIPS) since 2017 as the Environment Partnership Co-ordinator. Kerry- Ann was proud to serve her Community as Councillor for a term and has over 17 years’ experience working within her Community. She was responsible for researching and developing funding proposals which helped build and sustain her First Nations Environment Department. She has worked on by-law development, implementation and enforcement, waste management, housing and developing, co-ordination and managing various environmental projects including the development of community climate change adaptation and implementation plans not only for her community but other First Nation as well. She has had great success in initiating and building relationships with various environmental organizations, developing partnerships to co-ordinate and carry out various environmental activities with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners as well as promoting education and Community involvement in environmental initiatives within her Community and other Indigenous Communities. As a result of this work, Kerry-Ann has gained International recognition and has been asked to speak across Canada, in the US and Mexico in the area of Indigenous perspectives on environmental initiatives. Kerry Ann’s wide range of career experiences give her a unique perspective that can be very valuable when assisting others wishing to find their balance of operations and carrying out of their environmental responsibility.
This video was created as part of an Open Education Resources (OER) online course entitled Building Sustainable Communities: The Impact of Engagement which can be accessed here.