Kamchatka, Russia: Strengthening Indigenous Youth Learning through the Use of Cultural Heritage and Language Learning Technologies
Kamchatka youth lack interest and involvement in cultural heritage, language and history, likely due to the fact that few living native speakers exist in the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Concurrently, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, an absence of public citizenship involvement and civic engagement exists toward cultural heritage, language training, language documentation and language preservation. This project will therefore facilitate the collection of additional data and disseminate knowledge of ongoing and sustained efforts of Indigenous language revitalization and education in Kamchatka, Russia. It will: (1) systematically record and document indigenous elder interactions with linguistically affiliated, ethnographic collections in September, 2016 at two world-renowned museums in Saint Petersburg, Russia; and, (2) publish copies and disseminate PI Colombi’s co-authored book and DVD, Remembering Lesnaya: Koryak (Nymylyn) Language, Culture, and History, to educators and Indigenous school-aged children with K-12 schools along Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula.