Yinka Dene Language Institute
The Yinka Dene Language Institute was founded in 1988 by the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council, the College of New Caledonia, School District 55 (Burns Lake), School District 56 (Nechako) and School District 28 (Quesnel). Tl’azt’en Nation Grand Chief Edward John was its first President.
In 1995 the University of Northern British Columbia joined YDLI. School Districts 55 and 56 have amalgamated to form School District 91 (Nechako Lakes). School District 91 resigned from YDLI as of January, 2000.
YDLI has run a training programme for language teachers, has produced a variety of publications, mostly aimed at children, and has conducted a number of research projects. YDLI also maintains a library and archives of audio recordings, video tapes, and photographs.