The Joint Education Action Plan (JEAP) was created through the 2012 Tripartite Education Partnership agreement between:
- Government of Yukon;
- Government of Canada;
- All 14 Yukon First Nations governments; and
- The Council of Yukon First Nations.
What is JEAP?
JEAP is a long-term plan to make education better for all Yukon students. It focuses on improving education outcomes for Yukon First Nation students and broadening the education of all Yukon learners through the integration of Yukon First Nation ways of being, knowing and doing; languages; culture and history into the education system.
JEAP’s priorities are:
- K-12 Culture and Language;
- Authority, Control and Responsibility;
- Sustainability, Supports and Success; and
- Closing the Academic Achievement Gaps
What JEAP is doing
The Government of Yukon is working with Yukon First Nations governments and education partners to turn JEAP into action. The current work focuses on the next 10 years and aims to build a stronger, more inclusive education system that is culturally responsive and supports Yukon First Nations learners and knowledge.
Key actions the Yukon government has underway or in development:
Work to strengthen cultural inclusion in schools
- Yukon First Nations cultural awareness training for Department of Education staff, including those who work in schools.
- Expanding cultural learning opportunities for all students and staff, including training like Yukon First Nations 101, Indigenous Atlas of Canada and the Blanket Exercise.
- Updating the 2016 Cultural Inclusion Standards for all Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.
- Development and implementation of tools that support culturally safe and inclusive classrooms.
Work to improve partnerships and accountability
- Finalizing a JEAP Implementation Plan and oversight mechanism to guide and track work between 2025 and 2035.
- Increasing Yukon First Nation involvement in the Yukon education system, including on committees and working groups.
- Development of protocols and policies for engaging with Yukon First Nations on key issues about education and matters that affect First Nations students.
Work to support students through key transitions
- Development of strategic intervention tools that use the lens of lifelong learning to support learners through the key transitions of:
- Preschool to kindergarten;
- Elementary school to high school;
- Rural to urban schools; and
- High school to post-secondary
- Improving student wellness supports, including Ready-to-Learn schools and School Wellness Specialists.
- Integration between school staff and a variety of roles that support student success, including First Nation Education Advocates and Community Education Liaison Coordinators to support Yukon First Nations students and strengthen school-community connections.
Work to support lifelong learning and language
- First Nation language programs in schools that support efforts to restore intergenerational transmission of Yukon First Nation languages and provide all learners with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of Yukon First Nation languages.
- Ensuring that Yukon First Nation language teachers receive the same level of support and recognition as other teachers in Yukon schools.
- Supporting on-the-land learning, Indigenous language instruction, and more culturally inclusive curriculum and teaching practices.
Related government work that supports JEAP
The Yukon government also supports JEAP through related education initiatives, including:
- Supporting the First Nation School Board.
- Working with Yukon First Nations on education agreements.
- Implementing the Integrated Outcome Strategy for Yukon Learners, the Department of Education’s long-term guide to improve student success.
- Supporting the Reimagining Inclusive and Special Education initiatives to create a more responsive and equitable education system for all learners.