On June 13, our team had the privilege of facilitating the Exploring wâhkôhtowin board game with students in the Aboriginal Studies class at NorQuest College. This experience was both powerful and deeply meaningful, as learners engaged with the complex realities of Treaty relationships and colonial impacts through an interactive, experiential lens.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to instructor Jen for welcoming us into her classroom, and to our valued partners at Pe Metawe, Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation (YIEF), Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre (IKWC), and Shift Lab for their continued collaboration.

🙏 Special appreciation goes to Julia Szweda and Mishma Mukith, Service Learning Faculty Developer at NorQuest, for creating this opportunity and supporting the development of this learning experience.

The classroom was filled with thoughtful reflection and honest conversation. Students shared how the game helped them not only understand history but feel its weight.

🎙 Mishma shared:
“One thing you learn is how hard the game gets. Those visual representations matter because that’s what makes sense for people… Even visually seeing it on the board helps. The emotional impact is a lot more jarring than just reading the history.”

🎙 Malaka noted:
“With the illness card, you don’t know when or how it’s going to arrive in the game… you are still gambling with disease.”

🎙 Jasmine reflected:
“If I was in elementary school, it would have been fun to play. Definitely helped me learn more.”

💬 As one participant put it beautifully:
“It’s a good lesson that we remember we are supporting each other.”

This event was a reminder that reconciliation is not only about gaining knowledge—it’s about engaging emotionally and acting with intention. We are honoured to continue creating spaces for story, learning, and connection in the spirit of wâhkôhtowin—the Cree word for kinship and interconnectedness.