We follow the Simon Fraser University academic calendar. The first year certificate runs from September to April. The second year Diploma Program includes an extra semester from May to June.

We are a full-time program: class runs from Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm in-person at the “Treehouse” located on Tsulquate Reserve, Port Hardy. The program is highly participatory; the more time and practice you put in, the more language you’ll get out of it!

We are proud to use the Where Are Your Keys (WAYK) method. The WAYK team have been involved in the program development since the start and continue to provide training and consultation to our staff and students. This method has been used by many Indigenous communities and we have found just as much success. With the WAYK method language learning is a fun, dynamic, and highly effective experience. A few qualities of this method are that we use sign language to provide an intermediary learning tool, and we don’t translate. You will walk away with fast conversational learning in addition to training for language teaching from the start. Learn more about the WAYK method here.

Being a student in this program means that you will be enrolled in Simon Fraser University classes under the Department of Linguistics. In the Certificate Program you will complete 9 credits, equivalent to a first year degree program. In the Diploma Program, an additional 10 credits are achieved. Instructors for these classes are all based in-community as staff for the Immersion Program.

It is not required that you do two years and complete the Diploma program; it is possible to only complete the Certificate program. However, we highly recommend completing two years to get the best benefit for your fluency goals. If you are only interested in completing the certificate program, please include this information in your application.