Kamchatka, Russia: Strengthening Indigenous Youth Learning through the Use of Cultural Heritage and Language Learning Technologies.
A webinar presented by Dr. Benedict Columbi about a project for which he received a CERCLL Faculty Research Grant in 2016.
ABSTRACT: 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 therefore facilitated the collection of additional data and disseminates knowledge of ongoing and sustained efforts of Indigenous language revitalization and education in Kamchatka, Russia. It: (1) systematically records and documents indigenous elder interactions with linguistically affiliated, ethnographic collections in two world-renowned museums in Saint Petersburg, Russia; and, (2) publishes 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 in K-12 schools along Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula.