To help teach children and youth about how housing can help improve economic and social conditions, the First Nations Housing Professionals Association has put together Keeper of My Home, a free resource that teaches students about caring for their home and housing, health and safety.
The program originates from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation which originally led the development of My Home is My Tipi; a housing resource kit for Saskatchewan First Nations schools.
This eventually progressed into the Keeper of My Home program, which has had its content evolve to align with the curriculums in each province and territory.
The content of Keeper of My Home has continued to expand along the way as well. There are e-learning games designed for all grade levels from kindergarten to Grade 12 that can be used conjointly with the classroom content, or independently as stand-alone activities, to help reinforce students’ understanding.
There are also activity books that include various colouring activities and word games available for download for grades kindergarten to six.
For students in grades six and 12, there are resource kits that include presentation slides, videos, and instructional plans to support teachers who are looking to integrate the program into their classrooms.
Topics covered in these kits include Home Maintenance and Cleaning My Home, Housing Rights, Responsibilities and Choices, and Buying or Renting a Home.
The FNPHA launched their first Keeper of My Home pilot project with Learning Bird last year. So far, it is has a positive response as people recognized that there is a gap in education when it comes to learning about taking care of a home.
When it first started, the goal for Keeper of My Home was to deliver a free resource for educators to help teach First Nation students about caring for their homes. This goal remains the same today as the FNPHA continues to work on ways to make this resource more accessible and convenient for facilitators.
More information on the Keeper of My Home program can be found on the FNHPA website.
Any questions about the program can be sent to info@keeperofmyhome.ca
