A new permanent StoryWalk® at MacEwan installation on campus offers an innovative way to welcome children and their families to MacEwan’s downtown campus.
Dr. Ozlem Cankaya, assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Early Learning and MacEwan librarian Lindsey Whitson headed up a team of faculty, staff and students who developed the project as part of an internationally recognized initiative that combines the joys of reading with physical activity and community-building.
“Having a StoryWalk on a university campus for children and families is unique,” says Dr. Cankaya. “We are inviting families to engage with our campus and community – to learn and grow in new ways that foster community, connection and inspiration.”
It’s never too early to ensure Edmonton’s youngest citizens feel welcome and at home on a university campus and MacEwan is the perfect spot for this exploration.
“Projects like this break down barriers to university education by making sure that all children feel comfortable and can imagine themselves here, long before they make decisions about their post-secondary education,” says Dr. Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor.
StoryWalk at MacEwan, which will regularly rotate through different storybooks, is also a beautiful illustration of MacEwan’s commitment to honouring its place in O’day-min, as outlined in its strategic vision, Teaching Greatness.
“This is one of many incredible ways our faculty, staff and students work collaboratively with community partners to revitalize Edmonton’s downtown while advancing our commitments to sustainability, truth and reconciliation,” says Dr. Trimbee.
Walking Together
Fitting for a project launched during National Indigenous History Month, the first three StoryWalk at MacEwan titles will feature Indigenous authors and illustrators. As StoryWalk visitors make their way across campus this summer, they will experience Walking Together, a powerful story written by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi and illustrated by Emily Kewageshi. The storybook explores the concept of Etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing), the gift of multiple perspectives in the Mi’kmaw language. The book also emphasizes the concept of “Mawikwayk” in Mi’kmaq, which means “together we are strong.”
“We hope this book will spark the idea that we are walking together as a community and teach children about braiding together the strengths of Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing,” says Dr. Cankaya. “We are also striving to inspire them to protect Mother Earth now and for seven generations.”
About StoryWalk at MacEwan
With support from the City of Edmonton in the form of a $50,000 Downtown Vibrancy Grant, the installation begins at the university’s 107 Street entrance. It winds its way through indoor and outdoor spaces across three MacEwan buildings, eventually looping its way back to where it began. Each of the 18 stops features pages from a book with captivating illustrations and teachings that invite visitors to reach deeper into the story with a unique and immersive reading experience.
What happens at each of those stops is the result of the contributions of faculty, staff and students across the university. Bachelor of Early Childhood Curriculum Studies students and faculty members generated questions and activities, Bachelor of Design faculty and students developed the display systems and designs for the presentation of each book, and Bachelor of Commerce students helped develop and manage budgets.
“This has truly been a team effort between MacEwan and community partners,” says Whitson. “It’s powerful to see months of collaboration come together in ways that provide meaningful opportunities for students and families at MacEwan and beyond.”
In addition to its partnership with the City, StoryWalk at MacEwan collaborates with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, Early Learning at MacEwan, Terra Centre, Canada Place Child Care Society and Monarch Daycare.
About StoryWalk
The StoryWalk concept was developed in 2007 by Anne Ferguson in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library in the United States. Since then, it has become an internationally known way of storytelling, with installations in the United States, Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea.