Request for Proposals: Bringing Algonquin Teachings to Ottawa Riverkeeper’s River School

Introduction

Ottawa Riverkeeper, a charitable organization, is a champion and collective voice for the Ottawa River watershed, providing leadership and inspiration to protect, promote and improve its ecological health and future.

Ottawa Riverkeeper’s education programs include River School workshops with school groups as well as public programming at our Learning Lab located at the NCC River House, directly above the Ottawa River.

Project purpose and goals

We are seeking an Anishinābe Algonquin Educator to deliver a new “Canoe Building and Teachings” workshop module for schools, and to guide the roll-out of the accompanying Educator Guide. (In this posting, these two resources will be referred to together as the Canoe Module and Educator Guide).

These teachings build off of a traditional birch bark canoe build project held at Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Learning Lab at the NCC River House. The canoe was built in 2023-24 by urban Indigenous youth in collaboration with the Assembly of Seven Generations, and led by knowledge holder Pinock Smith from Kitigan Zibi. Having been successfully launched into the Ottawa River, the canoe is now featured in our Learning Lab, along with videos on its construction.

The Canoe Module and Educator Guide will be rolled out to schools in Spring 2026. The Educator will lead workshops with students in Grades 2-12 in the Ottawa/Gatineau region, and will train teachers to use these resources with additional students.

Budget, timeline and scope of work

The Educator will be paid $9,200 for this contract, which covers the following activities:

• $1000 to finalize module content
• $7700 to deliver 22 workshops (20 to school groups and 2 to teachers at $350/workshop);
• $500 for final project evaluation report

Up to $500 is also available to cover mileage and incidental expenses.

This contract will run from late March/early April (depending on the candidate’s availability) until June 30th, 2026.

Deliverables to be completed:

• Finalize  the draft Canoe Building and Teachings workshop module, using existing content from the completed Educator Guide and videos;
• Deliver  the new module to 500 Grade 2-12 students in the Ottawa-Gatineau region through 20 school workshops. These will be held at Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Learning Lab and possibly at local schools. Workshops will run for 90 minutes each and will be delivered in English;
• Deliver  2 Professional Development workshops to introduce the Canoe Module and Educator Guide to teachers, empowering 25 teachers to share the module with another 650 students;
• Prepare a final report that evaluates workshop content and delivery, considering their own experience as well as feedback from teachers and students, and make recommendations to Ottawa Riverkeeper on best practices and future offerings.

Ottawa Riverkeeper staff will support the Educator by taking the lead on workshop promotion, registration and logistics.

This contract is based in Ottawa-Gatineau, with workshops held primarily at Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Learning Lab at the NCC River House (501 Promenade Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier, Ottawa) and potentially at schools within an 80km radius.

Selection Criteria

The ideal candidate for this project has experience in at least some of the following areas:

• Delivering educational content to school groups or the public;
• Respectfully weaving together Indigenous and western knowledge traditions;
• Delivering projects in a timely and professional manner;
• Communicating effectively with project partners and stakeholders;
• Access to a vehicle and the ability to drive to schools in Ottawa/Gatineau would be an asset.

In addition, the Educator should have flexible availability on weekdays to facilitate workshops as scheduled by schools. Ideally, they would be available at least 3 days/week for bookings, delivering an average of 2 workshops/week.

Note: Given the cultural connections of this project, we will be giving preference to selecting a candidate who identifies as Anishinābe Algonquin.

Application process and timeline

Applications must include the following elements:

• A resume
• A cover letter with one to two paragraphs describing the candidate’s relevant experience and suitability for the role, and a statement about their Indigenous identity, specifically in relation to the Anishinābe Algonquin Nation.

Application deadline: February 13, 2026

Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview to be held between February 23rd and March 6th.

Contract start date:  April 1, 2026 (approximate)

Project completion date: June 30, 2026

For additional questions, please contact Leela Ramachandran, Director of Education and Community Engagement at lramachandran@ottawariverkeeper.ca