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RIVERSTONE
ECO-RETREAT

During the 2023 March Break (Feb.25-Mar.4), The James Bay Eeyou School (JBES) Entrepreneurship Program students, as well as those who participated in the after school EPIC COOKING CHALLENGE, travelled south to The Riverstone Eco-Retreat in Durham, Ontario.

 

At Riverstone Eco-Retreat, youth spent a week with two professional chefs, learned about sustainable farming, beekeeping, nutrition, self-care, collaboration through games, sports activities and participated in a workshop with Elders from the Saugeen First Nation just to name some of the activities during the 7-day adventure.

 

The short video and teacher's note below are testimonial of a week that students are not about to forget so soon.

Click .PDF icon to download 3 delicious recipes as prepared during the retreat:

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1-Chocolate Mousse

2-Stir Fry

3-Somalie Pasta Sauce


Teacher's note

I wish to extend a heartfelt Thank you to everyone involved in making this project a possibility. I know just how much the Secondary V Entrepreneurship Program students and nine invited Sec. 1 & 2 pupils all appreciated their experience in Durham, Ontario at the Riverstone Eco Retreat from February 25 to March 4th. I should reveal that the debriefing that followed the 7-day trip was most insightful. The entire experience stimulated students with an improved sense of maturity, as well as a heightened awareness of belonging to a larger community that now extends beyond Chisasibi and the Cree Nation.

 

As their teacher, I did notice that the connections that were created during the organized activities impressed each individual teen alike. Their perception of differences and similarities between First Nation Cree adolescents and teens from Beaver Valley Community School that reside in a rural southern location of Canada and who joined midweek our JBES youth became beneficial on many levels. After all the sharing, laughter and deepened connections there appears to be a clearer definition of identity, along with a broadened refinement of worldview for each of our students.

 

Finally, I wish to personally offer a heartfelt thank you to the individuals and organizations that contributed their time and generously helped with funds. Your kind gesture permitted our youth with a valuable opportunity that extends far beyond what any classroom environment could ever possibly offer. As an experienced educator, I can affirm that the ripple effects from this impactful event are still being felt today, and probably will continue to extend into the future.

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Jean-Marc (JM) Duchesne

Teacher, Secondary V Entrepreneurship Program

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