The rapid rise of Sto:lo businesses is nothing short of exponential, and an upcoming event will spotlight the recent phenomenon. “People have little idea about the extent of it,” said Mike Watson, general manager of Sto:lo Community Futures, about the rise of entrepreneurship in Sto:lo communities across the Lower Mainland. Plans for Sto:lo Business Match, […]
Outcomes Report for the Indigenizing the Academy Conference August 26-28 2012 Summary Report on Outcomes ITA Dr. Ken Brealey, Associate Dean of Faculty, College of Arts University of the Fraser Valley, October 8 2013 Introduction The Indigenizing the Academy Conference (ITA) was held at the Gathering Center at the new Canada Education Park […]
Indigenizing the Academy report
Indigenizing the Academy — Making universities more welcoming for Aboriginal peoples By Anne Russell on May 6, 2013 For anyone new to academia, there’s a bit of confusion and trepidation. Why do the professors wear those gowns at Convocation? How do you know when and where to apply for a scholarship? What’s a graduate […]
Senior Administrators felt that it was necessary to consult with Aboriginal advisors to get started. It was considered important to have Learning Place for First Nations, which most institutions have, and First Nations programming included in the strategic plan. Programs needed to be created that acknowledge multiple nations. Administrators noted that many departments within the […]
Governance Students mentioned that it was difficult to make it through a system that talks about inclusion but that is backed by an infrastructure and policy that does not allow for inclusion: these issues are particularly extant within graduate studies, such as within Masters and PhD dissertation processes. Very often the students find themselves as […]
Students principally spoke to the questions of addressing misconceptions of what indigenization meant: they felt that a separate gathering space was needed where they could feel at home and culturally safe, feeling they could be themselves and not be judged. Also addressed were issues of structural discrimination typical of a Eurocentric post-secondary institution: mentioned as […]
Elders stressed that best practices in indigenizing would include making language and particularly language immersion an important part of indigenization. Indigenous teaching methods – employing patience, and teaching with love, with “no slapping or yelling” — were recommended as well, rather than token efforts (“not enough to take a non-indigenous program and slap a name […]
Personal & Institutional Reflections on Indigenizing the Academy Workshop Breakout I Breakout Group 6 (Community Members & Elders) Language an important part of education Language immersion suggested Build bridges between institutions and communications Communication bridging important Superficial indigenization Cannot indigenize a non-indigenous program by “slapping a name on it” Native way of teaching – patience […]
Personal & Institutional Reflections on Indigenizing the Academy Workshop Breakout I Breakout Group 5 (UFV Caucus) Indigenizing Challenges It’s easy to underestimate the challenges involved Family function and influence Can we make education a better experience by understanding how the family has evolved, and what it takes to make the families functional? Balancing curriculum for […]