The theme for Lighting the Fire 2026, “First Nations Education: Our Stories,” speaks to First Nations’ cultural reinvigoration and intergenerational healing and the power of their rich oral traditions and worldviews to enhance and support today’s classrooms. Oral traditions are increasingly recognized for their critical role in transmitting ancestral knowledge, environmental ethics, and community histories. Through storytelling, Elders and Knowledge Keepers impart life lessons, values and philosophies, and a sense of identity and belonging.

Residential schools and the intentional suppression of First Nations stories created a rupture in knowledge transmission, but the Resource Centre and its member communities are actively working to restore the crucial links between past, present, and future. A good education helps students know who they are and where they come from and better prepares them for a lifetime of learning. In many First Nations cultures, to be a good person is to find your Creation-given talents and use them for the good of your people. For educators, this means giving each student the opportunity to learn what their talents are and increase their ability to use them.

A culturally relevant approach to learning fosters pride and resilience among First Nations youth, making their education more relatable and meaningful. True learning takes place when multiple perspectives are heard, allowing for a more complete understanding of shared history and a path toward meaningful reconciliation. The theme “First Nations Education: Our Stories” is a celebration of First Nations’ enduring resilience.