May 6, 2020
(Flyer) (Application for Proposals) (Conference Website)
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is accepting proposals from presenters for its third education conference for teachers and administrators in Southeast Alaska, which is part of a larger effort to promote culturally responsive pedagogy in schools.
For the first time, the three-day event will be held virtually because of the COVID-19 virus.
“We’re researching platforms that will allow us to offer the conference in a way similar to how we offered the in-person events. We anticipate that we’ll be able to come together as an interactive group and go into breakout sessions on a variety of topics,” said longtime educator Jackie D’Cafango-Kookesh, who is organizing the event with educators Angela Lunda and Lisa Richardson.
SHI is soliciting proposals from early childhood, K-12, university and community educators who are encouraged to present on culturally responsive education, equity in education and Alaska Native education. SHI is asking applicants to submit proposals now and will work closely with selected presenters to ensure their presentations will be ready for a virtual audience.
The conference is open to educators from across Southeast Alaska and to students enrolled in the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) program and UAS’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.
The main conference is scheduled Aug. 6-8; a pre-conference scheduled Aug. 3-5 will provide additional opportunities for educators to explore and participate in extended topics. The conference is part of SHI’s education program Thru the Cultural Lens, which was founded in 2012 to give cultural orientations for educators in Juneau, and starting next year, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Metlakatla and Hydaburg.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
CONTACT: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com
