SSDEC’s App; First Nations Storybook - Slavey edition is now live

The app is available through the App Store for iPhone and iPad users to download for free

FORT SMITH, NT – The South Slave Divisional Education Council is excited to launch its third app – the First Nations Storybook – Slavey (Dene Yatié) edition app designed for iPhone and iPad use.

Designed to look like a bookshelf, the educational app is available through the App Store and houses nearly 50 books from the SSDEC’s collection of Aboriginal language storybooks filled with colourful illustrations and Slavey text. The books, which tell of legends and tales that reflect the traditions, values and experiences of northern Indigenous Canadians, are read by a fluent Slavey speaker so that readers can follow along and learn the language.

Retired Assistant Superintendent Brent Kaulback is excited for the release of the app, which he developed to support the 300 books he has helped publish through the SSDEC over the years.

“The First Nations Storybook Project supports people who are eager to learn and speak the Slavey language. This app helps communities rediscover their language through the written and spoken word, which is accentuated by beautiful illustrations and photos of life in the North,” he explained.

Kaulback and the SSDEC are always on the lookout for the next great northern story, and encouraging budding authors to write, illustrate and record their own books in any of the NWT’s official languages and then submit them to be reviewed and potentially included in this growing collection of books.

The First Nations Storybook Project also features Bush Cree and Chıpewyan (Dene Dédliné) editions of the app, which were published in 2014 and 2016 respectively. This project would not be possible without the generous funding provided by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Government of the Northwest Territories.