Indigenous Book Vending Machine Boosts Literacy in Prince Albert

Written By: Christina Cherneskey

When Anna Stene returned to work after maternity leave in September 2022, she assumed the role of program director at the Prince Albert Indian and Métis Friendship Centre. Little did she know, she would soon need to complete a project involving a unique vending machine—one that dispenses books written by Indigenous authors.

Anna recalls her surprise when she received an email notification: “You’ve been approved for the vending machine.” The previous program director had applied for this literacy enhancement project, part of an initiative by Ontario-based organization Start2Finish. The project, aimed at promoting cultural awareness in communities, was a first in the province and one of only seven in Canada.

When the vending machine was set to be delivered to the Prince Albert Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, major construction was underway. Stene approached the Bernice Sayese Centre about hosting the machine and received an enthusiastic yes. Stene believes the Bernice Sayese Centre is an ideal location, as it is surrounded by several schools in an area with a high Indigenous population. “There’s a high school. There are three elementary schools and there’s actually another high school that’s a little bit closer to the east side, But to have the vending machine down in that area of the city is really important because it is it does have a higher rate of indigenous people. And anything that we can put down there that would help the community is really important - especially having the culturally relevant books out there.”

The vending machine offers free tokens and is stocked with books for readers aged five to 18, representing various cultural backgrounds. “All the books are culturally designed to give some insight into many Indigenous backgrounds,” Stene explains.

“There are Metis, Inuit, Dene, Cree, and Dakota languages and stories. We have all these different types of backgrounds. Some of the books have the different languages in there. Some of them have folk tales too, which is wonderful.”

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, Start2Finish committed to providing culturally relevant programming and curriculum for

Indigenous school-aged students. The Indigenous Literacy Enhancement (“LIT”) Project, in partnership with friendship centres and Indigenous-serving schools, offers literacy programming and book vending machines that give Indigenous children access to culturally relevant teachings. The curriculum, developed in collaboration with Canadian Indigenous partners, is based on “The Seven Grandfather Teachings” (Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, Truth).

The public can access the vending machine, which operates on a token system, at the Bernice Sayese Centre. Stene encourages anyone interested in obtaining a book to contact her at the Friendship Centre or the staff at the Bernice Sayese Centre.

The vending machine is on a three-year trial, after which the partners will decide whether to keep it permanently. In the meantime, Stene hopes it will serve upwards of 2,000 readers.