Community priorities
Begin with who the learners are, what they want to communicate and the settings where the language will be used.
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE PARTNERSHIPS
Your language.
Your priorities.
Smash is open to partnering with Indigenous Nations, communities and organizations to develop language-learning content that supports their revitalization goals.
LISTEN FIRST. PLAN TOGETHER.
Language knowledge belongs in the conversation.
A language-development project starts with the people who know the language and the community’s priorities. Discuss who should guide the work, which language variety to teach and how content should be reviewed. Smash brings experience in organizing extensive content into a purposeful learning sequence.
A thoughtful teaching sequence
Plan how vocabulary, sentence-building and communication practice can connect in a progressive pathway.
Respectful content planning
Discuss the community’s preferred terminology, cultural protocols, permissions, content access and review process before developing materials.
SHAPING A POSSIBLE PROJECT
Start with a shared understanding.
Discuss the goals
Share the language, intended learners, teaching priorities and people who should be involved.
Explore the content
Review available materials, potential learning activities, language review and content permissions.
Define the scope
Discuss responsibilities, deliverables, access arrangements, a feasible timeline and development pricing.
Questions about partnering.
The partnership
Who can begin a conversation with Smash?
Indigenous Nations, communities, language programs and organizations interested in developing learning content can contact us. Tell us about the community, language and people who should be involved.
Has Smash worked on an Indigenous language project before?
Yes. Smash has already collaborated with one Indigenous group. We discuss each new project on its own terms.
Does the language need to be one of Smash’s three current languages?
No. This is a conversation about developing language-specific content for a partnership project. It is separate from the existing French, English and Spanish curricula.
Planning & permissions
How are project costs and timelines determined?
Development pricing and timelines depend on the agreed scope, available materials, review process and responsibilities. These are discussed with the partner before a project is defined.
Explore project planningHow do we discuss content permissions and access?
Bring your community’s protocols and requirements to the initial conversation. Discuss what material may be used, who can review it, who should have access and the terms that need to be agreed before development.
Explore the partnership approachTell us what your community wants to build.
Start a conversation about the language, learners and priorities for a possible partnership.