Learning by Doing: UCN Students Share Northern Stories Through Children’s Books
The Children’s Picture Book project, led by Janice Seto at the University College of the North, empowers Indigenous and Northern students to create bilingual Cree-English books, strengthening language revitalization, cultural expression, and community connection while building entrepreneurial skills through hands-on learning.
At the University College of the North (UCN), a classroom project is helping students turn their stories into books and is strengthening cultural expression, Indigenous language revitalization, and community connection across Northern Manitoba.
The Children’s Picture Book project, led by Janice Seto within UCN’s business administration and community development programs, began with a personal realization. Reflecting on the absence of Chinese community stories in a publication about their hometown, Janice Seto, the project lead, was inspired to take action:
“Who is going to write about the Chinese contribution to Bowmanville...?”
That moment sparked a broader commitment to storytelling, one that has since grown into a hands-on learning initiative where students create and publish their own bilingual children’s books.
From UCN’s main campus locations in The Pas and Thompson, this project encourages Indigenous and Northern students to develop children’s picture books in both Cree and English, combining visual storytelling with written narratives. The initiative is grounded in a “learning by doing” approach, where students gain entrepreneurial skills by creating real products for local audiences. Through the process in the Entrepreneurial Development course, students learn how to develop, publish, and share their work, while also exploring ways to generate income as authors. The accessibility of modern publishing tools has made it possible to keep costs low, allowing more students to participate and bring their ideas to life.
Beyond the classroom, the project addresses a broader gap in educational resources, particularly the limited availability of Indigenous language fiction for young readers, and through producing bilingual books, students are contributing to the preservation and everyday use of Indigenous languages, while creating culturally relevant materials for children in their own communities. The impact extends further through community access initiatives. A three-day free eBook campaign, launched during Black Friday, ensured that families could access the latest books without financial barriers, supporting literacy and engagement during a time when many households face economic challenges.
For UCN students who hail from northern communities that include Pukatawagan, Opaskwayak, The Pas, Thompson, and Norway House, publishing their own work fosters confidence, creativity, and a sense of ownership over their stories. It also reinforces the importance of sharing knowledge, which is an approach deeply rooted in Indigenous and Northern traditions. In Janice Seto’s subsequent course on Marketing Relationship and Sales, student authors develop their sales skills from a foundation of Indigenous worldview.
As the project continues, there is a growing collection of stories emerging from the North, reflecting local perspectives, experiences, and values. Each new cohort contributes to this evolving body of work, strengthening both individual capacity and collective cultural expression.
Through this initiative, UCN demonstrates how education, entrepreneurship, and storytelling can come together to support community wellbeing, ensuring that Northern voices are not only heard but shared, preserved, and celebrated for future generations.