CANADORE COLLEGE
Empowering Student Voices Through Wandering Educators

This year (2024), Communications Professor Elizabeth Harris found a unique way to empower her students by partnering with Wandering Educators, a global platform for storytelling, through Riipen. Her goal? To help students realize the significance of their words, voices, and stories while giving them an opportunity to share their experiences with the world.

"I wanted my students to understand the power they hold the ability to inspire and connect through their writing," Harris explains. "I'm incredibly grateful to Dr. Jessie Voigts, the publisher of Wandering Educators, for providing my students with such a meaningful platform to hone their skills and publish their work."

Over the course of the semester, students in the IWAP program took the challenge to heart, crafting powerful narratives about their cultural heritage, travel experiences, and personal reflections. Here are some highlights from their work:

• Douglas Westover: How to Swim the Sacred Way: The Most Beautiful Water in North America
• Ramon Mahegkan Kataquapit: How Indigenous Culture Shaped Canada
• Michelle Gor: Exploring the Great Outdoors in Muskoka, Ontario
• Jaime Macdonald: The Seven Grandfather Teachings and How to Use Them in Life
• Kylee Waboose: Traditional Ojibwe Ways of Life
• Kadie Bouchard: Land-Based Cultural Healing Camps and Why You Should Try Them
• Sarvesh Giri: Visiting the Bhakti Mandir Temple
• Melissa Stone: Loss of Language and Culture in Wahnapitae First Nation
• Katrina Sackaney-Archibald: The Significance of Indigenous Sweats
• Taylor Jaden Shuttleworth: Grandma's Cooking: Cherise Family Recipe
• Bailee Laurin: Three Traditional Homemade Recipes from Italy
• Leeon Prince: Gathering Spring Water

In the spring semester, Harris extended the opportunity to students in the General Arts & Science and Pre-Health Sciences programs, who also published an array of thoughtful pieces. From travel reflections on Glasgow and Kerala to insights on cultural traditions like the Punjabi suit and the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo, their work continued the themes of connection and storytelling.

Harris encouraged her students to write about one of two topics: lessons learned through their travels or a significant aspect of their culture they wanted to share. The process was deeply student-driven. Once they developed their ideas and created an outline, they received guidance and feedback from Dr. Voigts. Through drafting, revising, and editing, the students polished their work into publishable pieces.

Most of the photos accompanying the stories are the students' own, adding a personal touch and authenticity to their narratives.

"Sometimes students don't realize the impact their words can have," Harris says. "It's my hope that this experience shifts that perspective. By sharing their stories on a global platform, they've not only refined their writing but also discovered the value of their voices in shaping the world around them."

Through her collaboration with Wandering Educators, Professor Harris has opened doors for her students, helping them build confidence, develop skills, and connect with a worldwide audience one story at a time.