First Nations Pedagogies Network

Leona Antoine

"I come from a family of care providers; mom has a B.A. in education, my aunty a masters in education, my cousin worked in the school on the reserve after attending NITEP at UBC, and my dad worked in the schools in Merritt when I was a child. This way of thinking, guiding and caring for our peoples, was what my family felt was important. My role models cared for, about and with people."

LEONA ANTOINE began her career as an ECE in 1992 deeply inspired by the family of care providers to which she belongs. She gained experience working as a part-time educator and in 1999 was hired at Eagle’s Nest AHS preschool. There she realized her purpose of caring for her own family and those of others along with other Indigenous educators. Leona has worked in both on and off-reserve settings. As the program coordinator of Singing Frog AHS, she has been faced with the unique challenges of working with urban Indigenous communities. In that capacity, Leona strives to reach out and across differences, whether of culture or history. Leona is one of FNPN’s founder members and continues to be fundamental to the Network’s growth to date.

Landmarks in Leona’s Pathway are:

Urban Indigenous early learning and care
Engaging and supporting cultural diversity
Language revitalization
Nla’kapmux language
Communities’ connectedness and overcoming disconnection
Digital Storytelling

How to Be Inspired

February 9, 2021

In gratitude, the FNPN acknowledges Bernard Kerrigan and Brian Denhertog for their carving ‘Raven’ which lives in Musqueam Territory since 1987. With their permission,