Red Dress Day is on Sunday, May 5, serving as a day of reflection and activism in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples. This week, the Xwexwilmexwawt office (room B309) at the Abbotsford campus is commemorating the day with a red dress memorial. The Red Dress campaign grew from the…

A collaboration between the University of the Fraser Valley and Stó:lō Nation is giving high school students a taste of early childhood education (ECE) before they dive into full-time university studies. Monique Belanger, childcare supervisor at A:lmélháwtxw Early Education Centre, launched a leadership project through Early Childhood Educators of BC called ‘Leading Change with ECEBC.’…

Dr. Jo-ann Archibald has been announced as the University of the Fraser Valley’s fourth Chancellor.  Also known as Q’um Q’um Xiiem, OC, Dr. Archibald is an esteemed scholar, member of the Soowahlie First Nation, Professor Emeritus of Educational Studies at UBC, and a recipient of an Honorary Degree from UFV (2022). In 2018, she was…

Trigger Warning//past trauma, death, residential school experience// The following post includes description of the fate of Indigenous children in British Columbia. This content may be disturbing and you may wish to avoid reading further if this will be upsetting. Access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line:…

Eryn Braley is thankful to have chosen a career in Indigenous public health that allows her to connect with her Indigenous identity. “I am so appreciative of the Indigenous mentors and peers who have guided me in my career and personal journey. Through teachings, connection, and ceremonies, I am connecting with who I am as…

More than a dozen UFV students gained valuable experience this summer by participating in UFV's second Collaboratorium project. Run by UFV's Peace and Reconciliation Centre under the guidance of Professor Keith Carlson, the Collaboratorium is designed to provide community organizations with sophisticated research services at a fraction of the cost that would be associated with…

If things had turned out a little differently, Naxaxalhts’i Albert ‘Sonny’ McHalsie might have been one of B.C.’s top mechanics rather than a highly valued interpreter of Stó:lō people’s culture and traditions. And much vital knowledge about the culture and history of Indigenous Coast Salish history would have been lost. Because he chose a different…

Lisa Doell has learned a lot by taking the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program at the University of the Fraser Valley, but she’s also done more than a little teaching. For her efforts to help her professors and fellow students understand Indigenous culture and the issues faced by Indigenous people, Doell is this year’s…

From sleeping in a bed dug from Peruvian sand to educating along the plank sidewalks of Barkerville, Mike Retasket’s long and diverse commitment to learning and sharing complex Indigenous history is unparalleled. For this and more, he will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of the Fraser Valley this June. A…

Two women with UFV connections have been nominated for 2023 YWCA Women of Distinction awards. Recognized nationally, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards is the organization’s primary fundraising event, honouring extraordinary women leaders and businesses. Dr. Lenore Newman — nominated in Environmental Sustainability category Dr. Lenore Newman is Founder and Director of the Food and…

The University of the Fraser Valley is collaborating with a group of Stó:lō agencies to offer an educational program that will help participants enhance their capacity for reconciliation building. Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building will be offered by the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), in partnership with the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal…

A film with strong ties to UFV’s South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) recently made its debut at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).  Unarchived is a documentary (directed by Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok) backed by the National Film Board of Canada that explores the histories of communities that are often overlooked and excluded by…

For too many decades, forces of colonization actively worked to deny young Indigenous people access to their own language. And language is critical to culture.  Reconciliation with Stó:lō people is a significant priority for UFV, and a diverse group of donors have played a role in funding the preservation of Halq’eméylem language, and supporting Indigenization…

Near the top of each on-air interview, Victoria Surtees, the host and creator of the new UFV Ekta podcast series, asks each guest the same two-part question: “What is one time you have felt powerful and one time you have felt powerless?”  For the UFV students on the other end of those questions, it has…

This is what research looks like at UFV: pairing children with the elderly as dance partners, exploring cellular agriculture and indoor farming, collecting and preserving South Asian settlers' stories, and an innovative hub that fuels out-of-the-box thinking about health and social issues. Research here is different. It is impactful. It is curious and creative. It…