Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, in collaboration the Lakehead District School Board, currently offers an Alternative Education Program called the KZ Lodge.
BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE KZ LODGE
-The KZ Lodge is an Alternative Secondary School program that is offered in a mainstream school setting, but is designed to incorporate specialized programming related to Indigenous land-based learning and life skill building.
-Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, works in collaboration with the Lakehead District School Board to delivers the KZ-Lodge Alternative Education Program.
-The main goal of the program is to provide added support to Indigenous youth by providing a ‘soft landing’ that helps ease their transition into a mainstream Secondary School setting.
-KZ Lodge is focused on providing programming to students in Grades 9 and 10. They have also recently expanded to periodically include students in grades 11 and 12 who are working towards earning credits in Peer Leadership and Cooperative Education.
-Some key areas of focus for the program include: fostering student creativity, encouraging critical thinking, helping students make connections to their culture, exposing students to real-world connections, 21st century technologies, and careers.
THE KZ CLASSROOM
Other Program Goals for the KZ classroom include…
– Creating a welcoming, culturally respectful & inclusive learning environment in the classroom.
-Integration of culturally relevant curriculum, and community-based partnerships.
Program Contacts:
Derek Diblasio —-Principal (Hammarskjold H.S.)
Donna Flasza —-Vice Principal (Hammarskjold H.S)
Tanya Moses —-Alternative Secondary School Support Worker
Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre
Email: tanya.moses@tbifc.ca
Lisa MacLeod – Cultural Academy Teacher (Hammarskjold H.S.)
Email: Lisa_macleod@lakeheadschools.ca
Kendomang Zhagodenamnon Lodge 