
The Map to My School
At Art for Aid we believe in the connection to culture through land and language.
Traditional languages are endangered but are becoming revitalized through perseverance and engagement. We hope to do our part in this small way to preserve these vital links between the youth and their language.


The Map to My School is a program that sees culturally relevant and professionally produced cartography being purchased and shipped to remote schools. The maps are created at the University of Maine and list many communities across Canada without the use of provincial and territorial borders. The maps indicate locations using the traditional language for places, along with the definition of what the name means. These maps allow young people to connect to their language, to the places their family might know and to places their ancestors would have travelled. Art for Aid orders the map from the University of Main using funds raised through general donations or Art for Aid Fundraising store sales.
We believe every school in Canada should have a map like this as an essential learning tool.

Order your own map
If you wish to purchase a map, click on the "Buy from University of Main" button bellow. Organizations other than the University of Maine cannot sell the maps. They are produced exclusively at the University at an affordable cost (Folded Map $7.00 USD + Shipping; Rolled Map $10 + Shipping) so they can be readily purchased by all. Note that you will order directly from the University (not Art for Aid).
** NOTE - AS OF MARCH 2023 THE UNIVERSITY WILL NO LONGER BE PRODUCING THESE MAPS.

The Map to My School
The Map to My School is a program that sees culturally relevant and professionally produced cartography being purchased by Art for Aid and shipped to remote schools with our art supplies.
The maps are produced by the University of Maine's Canadian/American Centre, and pinpoints the traditional names of locations in Canada. This, coupled with the definition of what those names mean can help young people to connect to their language. Often these places are locations that their relatives and neighbours know by the traditional name. Often these are places their ancestors would have travelled to for hunting, trade, or ceremonies.
We believe every school in Canada should have a map like this in the classroom.