Media program coming to Kanesatake

In the late 1980s, when Karahkóhare Syd Gaspé attended a media program right here in Kanesatake, it helped shape the trajectory of his life for decades to come.

“It was a springboard for my career,” said Gaspé, who in recent years has been a driving force behind Reviving Kanehsatà:ke Radio (RKR) 101.7 FM.

Back then, his teachers in the media program encouraged him to apply for an opening at the CBC, which he did.

“In the summer of 1990, just before everything blew up in Kanesatake, I was hired at a summer job,” he said. “That summer job lasted 24 years.”

Now Gaspé, boasting four decades of experience in radio and broadcasting, wants to help give rise to the next generation of Indigenous journalists.

That’s one reason he’s helped push for bringing a new media program to the community, envisioned as a training ground. It will be delivered through Kiuna College, based in Odanak, but classes will take place in Kanesatake, complete with a studio. It is open to all Indigenous students.

“The whole idea today is to pass on our knowledge to whoever wants to take a course, young and old,” Gaspé said.

Those who complete it successfully will earn an Attestation of College Studies, and students will receive a subsidy of $21.50 an hour through the Kanesatake Employment and Training Service Center (KETSC) for the duration of the full-time, five-month program.

KETSC has been involved in the effort since the beginning, playing a key role by obtaining funding to support the project, which has been created in collaboration with RKR and The Eastern Door. Other big local names in media are also involved through a committee, including Kanehsata’kehró:non Dan David and Sonia Bonspille Boileau.

Kiuna is in the process of selecting teachers to deliver the course material, which will incorporate a robust practical component.

“For myself, I think it’s important that hands-on practice and training is also incorporated in the theory,” said KETSC manager Michelle Lamouche, who led the funding application.

Lamouche said it is important to create opportunities for Onkwehón:we in media, so Indigenous perspectives can be reflected in newspapers and news broadcasts.

“It’s very important to have our own people covering stories,” Lamouche said. “They have an insight. We have our tradition, our culture, but also, I think they can understand the importance of journalism and media. They have an interest in whatever stories are happening.”

Indigenous students are eligible for the funding through KETSC no matter where they are located.

The Eastern Door’s editor and publisher, Steve Bonspiel, hopes to see the program cultivate interest in journalism in Kanesatake and Kahnawake.

“We have to foster that understanding of what journalism is and why it’s important to tell our stories and bring out the truth, and we don’t have enough of that,” he said.

He believes curiosity and a good base of writing skills can go a long way for prospective students.

“I think there are a lot of diamonds in the rough and there are a lot of gems, and we just have to have an open mind to pull them into the course and lead them out of their shell, and you’ll see what kind of amazing talent we have.”

Students will also need a passion for giving voice to people’s stories, he added.

“It’s a task you have to take pretty seriously and it’s one people trust you with, so you have to earn that trust and keep it,” said Bonspiel.

The program is looking for 15 participants and needs to maintain a minimum of 11 students to move forward. Those seeking more information can contact Amber Hannaburg at [email protected] or by phone at 450-479-8373 ext. 306.

Those ready to apply can contact [email protected]

Studies are slated to begin January 20, 2025.

[email protected]