ABSTRACT
Exploring the rights of the First Nations child through the arts: our dreams matter too was a collaborative research/creation project jointly designed by Chief Executive Officer Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCSC) and the author, associate professor in the Dance Department at York University. The project primarily explored links between arts education, rights education and indigenous pedagogy as they relate to the social abilities, active citizenship and empowerment of First Nations children. Furthermore, this project sought to advance knowledge of First Nations children's views on their rights relative to the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. By investigating through the lens of indigenous knowledge, the project has revealed how rights education taught through arts education may be incorporated into First Nations elementary school curricula. Art forms that resonate with First Nations children especially dancing, drumming, storytelling and visual art were key in the process of creating the performance.
