Wanda Crowder, the new NIDES Distance Learning Indigenous Support Worker, is very excited to be part of the newly formed Indigenous Education Distance Learning Team, supporting Distance Learners attending NIDES. It is both Wanda’s privilege and honour to be doing this work and she is dedicated to doing so, to the best of her ability. Her Indigenous heritage is Ojibway First Nations, on her father’s side, from Port Credit Ontario. Although she was born in Ontario, she has lived all over Canada and Central Europe, and for the last 22 years she has called the Comox Valley home.

Wanda’s experience working at NIDES has been in a variety of roles over the past 20 years, which includes Teacher’s Aid/Marker, Administrative Assistant and briefly as an Indigenous Support Worker (ISW). She has also been an ISW for over 10 years at various Elementary, Secondary, Alternate, and Indigenous schools in School District 71 (Comox Valley). Additionally, she was employed as an Educational Assistant for several years, and supported youth for seven years as a Summer Recreation Facilitator/Programmer, for the Town of Comox and the City of Courtenay.

As a member of the Indigenous Education Distance Learning Team, Wanda is very motivated to assist children to succeed with their online learning, by encouraging them to participate in and celebrate their Indigenous culture. Some of these supports and services include advocacy for the child and family, providing Indigenous learning and cultural resources, assisting with the content in the mailout packages and promotions, coordinating access to video presentations, story telling, guest speakers, and helping to connect students and their families with local Indigenous organizations and services as needed.

Wanda loves working with youth and helping to guide them to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. She thinks it is important to instill and encourage in them, a respect and appreciation for themselves, their culture and heritage, for others, for nature and its inhabitants and for the environment. Wanda’s number one priority in this new position, is connecting with students and their families, on how to best support their child’s learning, Indigenous identity, and a strong sense pride in their culture and traditions.