How do you use story telling to inspire?
I’ve used children’s books to tell the story of environmental activists to inspire my students.
BUT, I’ve also gone further and was fortunate to invite the author and main character of The Water Walker to visit our classroom.
To say the least, building and forming a relationship with Joanne Roberston (author) and Josephine Mandamin (main character) took our learning so much further and deeper.
It actually resulted in a life altering experience for both my students and myself.
They took up the main character’s life work and initiated the Junior Water Walkers movement.
I’ve tried to document the journey.
It started with the blog about how I “found” Nokomis. The title is Nibi, which means water in Ojibwe. It’s the story about how water connected me to Nokomis and how it brought her to my class.
Blue Gold shares the full story of our meeting and how Google Earth managed to capture it.
Updates: Nokomis and the Junior Water Walkers provides an update on the Junior Water Walkers in its infancy, speaks to Nokomis’ failing health and plans for our first walk.
For Nokomis documents my two minute talk that I was invited to share about Nokomis and the Junior Water Walkers at National Geographic in December 2018.
On February 22, 2018 we lost our dear friend and water protector.
For Water, Learn. Adopt. Protect. Walk. captures my students’ learning journey as Junior Water Walkers and plans for our first water walk.
Water Walking shares the story of our first St. Elizabeth School water walk.
The Junior Water Walks takes you on a journey, via Google Earth to experience 20 other Junior Water Walks from across North America.
Nokomis Josephine Mandamin passed away a year ago yesterday but her legacy, work and water walking and protecting carries on.
Sharing one person’s story and connecting with them can create ripple effects that can turn into a wave of action and change.
The world was incredibly fortunate to have Nokomis. Her story lives on.
