TRACKS Youth Program

TRent Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Science

What is TRACKS?

TRACKS (TRent Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Science) is an educational program which provides hands-on experiences for youth interested in the intersections of Indigenous and western sciences. TRACKS is based out of the Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences Program (IESS) of Trent University, under the umbrella of the Kawartha World Issues Centre and supported by First People's House of Learning. TRACKS consists of two distinct but connected programs: Outreach & Education and Oshkwazin Indigenous Youth Leadership Program.  

TRACKS: Outreach & Education

TRACKS Outreach & Education runs a wide variety of educational programs throughout the calendar year for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in grades K-12.

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TRACKS: Oshkwazin Indigenous Youth Leadership

TRACKS Oshkwazin is a leadership program for Indigenous high school aged youth, providing them with valuable training and leadership development opportunities.

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Book one of our standard workshops

Click below for descriptions of workshops we typically run for schools and camp programs.

Invite us into your school, or if you are looking to deepen your TRACKS experience, consider booking your class for a half or full day program at Trent University, where the wetlands, labs and tipi are our classroom!

Standard WorkshopsBook your workshop

For Parents: Available Programs

WAITLIST SIGN UP ONLY: Summer Camp (6-8 & 9-12)

We are very excited to open registration for our 2019 Summer Camp sessions to be held at Trent University! WAITLIST SIGN UP ONLY FOR ALL SESSIONS.

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NEW THIS YEAR: Summer Camp (12-14)

This Summer, TRACKS is piloting its first ever camp specifically for 12-14 year olds! Sign up your young teen camper for a week of exploring the intersections between Indigenous and Western science, learning from the land and experiencing Indigenous cultural activities.

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Blog & Media

Blog: Medicine Teachings with our Oshkwazin Youth Ambassadors

  • 14/08/2019 11:55 AM

As part of their Summer, our Oshkwazin Youth Ambassadors, Geordan, Gabe, Kaden and Joe, were given the opportunity to learned from knowledge holders about various different types of traditional and modern medicinal plants. They each wrote a short blog post about what they learned about these plants!

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Blog: Meet our Oshkwazin Youth Ambassadors!

  • 02/08/2019 10:39 AM

July has been a whirlwind! At the beginning of July, we hired four high school students as Oshkwazin Youth Ambassadors. As they reach the mid-way point to their Summer, its about time we official introduce them. Read on to learn more about them and why they are proud to work as ambassadors for our TRACKS Oshkwazin program.

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Blog: Meet Jazzmin Foster, Oshkwazin Youth Program Supervisor!

  • 26/06/2019 01:29 PM

Along with our amazing, talented Outreach and Education staff we have also hired Jazzmin Foster as our Oshkwazin Youth Program Supervisor. Our Oshkwazin Youth start next week, so it's time to meet Jazzmin!

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Blog: Meet our 2019 Outreach and Education Summer Instructors!

  • 17/06/2019 12:38 PM

After a full month of delivering outstanding school programming, our staff are gearing up for Summer camp programs and we figured its about time for introductions.

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Actua Network

​TRACKS is a proud member of Actua. Actua provides training, resources and support to its national network of members located at universities and colleges across Canada in the delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach programming. Each year, these members engage over 225,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Please visit Actua to learn more. ​
Actua Network

Kawartha World Issues Centre

TRACKS is supported by the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC). KWIC is a charitable Global Education and Resource Centre which promotes dialogue and understanding of world issues to enable people to engage in positive social and environmental change. Since 1989, KWIC has served Peterborough and the Kawartha region by organizing educational events and workshops, animating youth-led initiatives, facilitating working groups, supporting community research projects, internships and placements and sharing resources. Please visit KWIC to learn more.
Kawartha World Issues Centre

Contact us!

  • 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2
  • Trent University C/O Indigenous Studies

Testimonials

My students learned that the land is important, and that they will need to take better care of it. They learned to not be fearful of the forest, and reach for their dreams. It was very enjoyable and informative not only for the kids but for me as well. They were actively engaged, and therefore learned a great deal. All the best to the people at TRACKS!

Science is fun! First Nation storytelling includes the first fruit of the season (strawberries) and important teachings such as love, forgiveness and honesty. I think the different perspectives presented drove the message home. I would like to see the other workshops- they all sounded amazing!

Our son loved the camp and each night came home with stories of what he had done that day. We noticed that he had hung cedar over the doors, as he took to heart and mind the teachings and related them to his personal life. For him to be affected in such a short time is phenomenal.

I was so impressed with the thoughtfulness and anti-oppressive approach to the camp. This is very unique- I hope you will share your approach with others who lead youth programming. The experience of being immersed in a community of exploration and dialogue was very valuable for my granddaughter. Thank you for the wonderful camp experience!