Congratulations to the third-year graduates of the Mentor-Apprentice Program!
We would like to honour and acknowledge the 2021 third-year graduates of the Mentor-Apprentice Program. Twenty-one Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP) pairs each completed the three-year full program, making this the largest group of MAP graduates ever! We raise our hands to each of you for your hard work and dedication towards revitalizing your First Nations languages and passing them on to the next generation.
We recently spoke with graduate Tracey Kim-Bonneau who shared about her experience as an apprentice learning her language through the program: “The value in this program is the connection to our speakers and the knowledge that we gain from that. When I go up in the mountains now, the words just come because that’s where I learned them from, and I didn’t learn them from writing it down, I didn’t learn them from memorization, I learned them by being at the location, seeing them, hearing them, and that’s what’s really amazing.”
The Mentor-Apprentice Program is designed to support individuals to become fluent speakers in their First Nation language. A fluent speaker (mentor) is paired with an adult learner (apprentice) to spend 300 hours over the course of one year in an immersion environment in the home and on the land. To build fluency, apprentices may be part of the program for up to three years for a total of 900 language immersion hours.
The FPCC Language Program Team held a virtual event over Zoom to honour and congratulate the mentor-apprentice teams for their accomplishments. We hope that in the future we will be able to gather again in person and celebrate.
Congratulations to all!
| Apprentice | Mentor(s) | Language |
| Carolyn Doody | Ryan Dennis | Tāłtān |
| Leona Dumont | Marty Aspinall and Late Jim Toodlican | Nłeʔkepmxcín |
| Margaret Rose Mattess | Ronald Mattess | Dakelh |
| Lillian Candace Morton | Gary Manson | Hul’q’umi’num’ |
| Aaron Grant | Rita Hutchingson | X̱aad Kil / X̱aayda |
| Blaine Peter Joseph Grinder | Paul Grinder | Tsilhqot’in |
| Christina Williams | Vivian Williams | Halq’eméylem |
| Joshua Shaw | Julia Lucas | nuučaan̓uɫ |
| Alexandra Charlie | Meryl Seymour and Late Violet George | Hul’q’umi’num’ |
| Ambrose Robert Wright | Norman Weget Sr. | Gitsenimx̱ |
| Chantell Newman | Rebecca Duncan | Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim |
| Donna Mae Good Water | William Marchand, Anabelle Tronson, Johnny Bonneau and John Louie | Nsyilxcən |
| Rachel Marchand | Pauline Archachan | Nsyilxcən |
| Rosalind Williams | Emmeline Felix | Secwepemctsín |
| Tracey Kim Bonneau | Christopher Eneas | Nsyilxcən |
| Səxʷt̓ums krista Lindley | Diane Louis | Nsyilxcən |
| Maryssa Sierra Bonneau-Jack | Jeannette Armstrong | Nsyilxcən |
| Kaiya Williams | Rebecca Duncan | Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim |
| Colleen Seymour | Bernadette Dodson | Secwepemctsín |
| Jennifer Zyp | Yvonne Lattie | Gitsenimx̱ |
| Margaret Seymour | Bernard David | Hul’q’umi’num’ |
Apply Now!
We are currently accepting applications for both Mentor-Apprentice (intensive) and Mentor-Apprentice Connections (flexible) programs until November 17. Visit the program page for more information
Learn More
For more information about the Mentor-Apprentice Program, take a look at the program page.
View B.C.’s Mentor-Apprentice Language Program Handbook resource here.
Take a look at the 10 Points for Successful Language Learning resource here.
To view all current FPCC funding opportunities please visit our Grants page.
Connect with Us
To receive FPCC news and funding announcements, please sign up for our email list here.
Follow FPCC on social media for updates: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube