Leslee White-Eye is a committed champion of Indigenous education.
As a former teacher at her home community school on Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and former education officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education she understands the challenges First Nation schools face and how culture-based education programming and nation-to-nation negotiations can lead to success.
Leslee is also the former chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.
Tell us about your work in First Nations’ education?
I am so blessed to work with both of my passions — governance and education — here at the Collective.
I have the privilege of organizing and managing the Collective tables so they can work together on like-minded goals.
What’s one thing that stands out for you about the Collective?
It’s pretty exciting to see the level of engagement among the education leaders on topics of jurisdiction, law-making and federal government funding policy.
Read interviews with other FNWSC education leaders
Often, it's the only dedicated and sustained space for leaders to connect the day-to-day education activities to education jurisdiction. Collective delegates all come here knowing they inherently have the right to education.
What is one way a challenge is being addressed by FNWSC in education system change?
The collaborative and thought-provoking nature of the collective discussion tables allows for time to pause and reflect.
Participants control the timelines of their collective action. When things need to slow down and more time with community team members is needed then it slows down.
What is one of the highlights of your career as a First Nations education leader?
Being able to help communities affirm a position of sovereignty over their own affairs in education.
Over five years of coordinating active delegate engagement in jurisdiction matters has been the highlight of my career by far. I always felt that change happens in communities by communities and the FNWSC has proven this to me over and over again.