Making a four-minute video was an emotional experience for Syilx language teacher Michele Johnson.

In the film, students in their fourth year of study at the Syilx Language House tell stories in 苍蝉测颈濒虫肠蓹苍, 害羞草研究所渓ike champions害羞草研究所� as Johnson describes it.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 a teacher. So while they were speaking, I was feeling really proud and I had a tear in my eye, and I expressed to them how proud I was and how far we害羞草研究所檝e come,害羞草研究所� said Johnson. 害羞草研究所淎nd then when the day was over, I got in my car and closed the door. And I just cried. And it was like, tears of joy and relief.

害羞草研究所淎ll of us have worked so hard I害羞草研究所檓 glad I took that moment to put them on film. And you can see in the film, they didn害羞草研究所檛 even look really that nervous 害羞草研究所� they were just proud, we can speak now.害羞草研究所�

Johnson said one of the reasons they害羞草研究所檙e working so hard to reclaim their language, 苍蝉测颈濒虫肠蓹苍, is that hundreds of years of colonization almost erased it.

害羞草研究所淎t the same time, they tragically affected our community害羞草研究所檚 health and well being and sense of sovereignty,害羞草研究所� said Johnson. 害羞草研究所淥ur stories are vitally important. They害羞草研究所檙e a big part of who we are as Syilx people and the reason we害羞草研究所檙e learning the language is so we can express ourselves as Syilx people.害羞草研究所�

Connecting to the past is important, she explained, but they also want to use their language to connect to the future.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e putting in all this time so we害羞草研究所檙e able to speak about anything, including healing our communities from the inside through language, empowering ourselves and expressing our individualism,害羞草研究所� said Johnson.害羞草研究所漌e feel like learning our language vitally connects us to the future of ourselves as people.害羞草研究所�

The Syilx Language house is a pilot project, Johnson said, proving the success of the teaching model with a results-driven program.

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And according to Johnson, every fluent speaker they can create could have a huge influence going forward: each fluent speaker could create tens, if not hundreds, of fluent speakers.

害羞草研究所淣ow we害羞草研究所檙e fundraising to grow the program,害羞草研究所� said Johnson. 害羞草研究所淲e want to start 30 to 60 people by next September. And any help with fundraising is welcome.

害羞草研究所淓very $50,000 we can raise is a new fluent speaker by 2024.害羞草研究所�

Being one of a small number of people fluent in has its challenges too.

害羞草研究所淚 think we all feel that joy of being able to speak our language, that the elders can understand us,害羞草研究所� said Johnson, adding that there is also loneliness. 害羞草研究所淓ach one of us, it害羞草研究所檚 as though we害羞草研究所檙e entering into the same sense of loneliness that the elders have because they害羞草研究所檙e the remaining speakers of our critically endangered language.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 why we have to maintain our sense of hope and keep working as hard as we害羞草研究所檙e working so that all of my current students will have 100 more people to speak with.害羞草研究所�