Gwich’in Tribal Council hopes to bring language nests to other communities

By Tom Taylor  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tr’iinin Tsal Ginjik Ge’tr’oonahtan, the Gwich’in Tribal Council’s language nest, has been a success story through its first four years of existence, according to Michelle Wright, the organization’s manager of early learning and language. “The language nest has been very successful for children in that they are acquiring dinjii zhuh k’yuu, the Gwich’in language,” Wright said. “Parents of the program have observed a noticeable growth in their child’s ability to speak and understand. ”We have one program in Inuvik, with the hopes of expanding to other communities.” The language nest opened in Inuvik in early 2019. The program operates much like a full-day daycare, but is facilitated in Gwich’in, exposing children to the language at a young age. “Children ages zero to six…

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