Indigenous Initiatives

Transformational change within the academy requires dedicated leadership, a robust institutional wide commitment and increased Indigenous representation in governance processes.

• Establishment of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.
• Establishment of elected Senate seats for First Nations, Métis or Inuit faculty (1) and students (2).
• Incorporation of an Indigenous session into New Faculty, Librarian and Veterinarian and New Days orientations.
• Establishment of a practice to allow First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students, honorees, faculty, staff, and platform members to wear Indigenous regalia at institutional ceremonies such as convocation and installations.

Enhancing Indigenous presence in all aspects of campus life will foster awareness of the important relationships Indigenous peoples have with the lands on which our campuses are located and provide Indigenous peoples with opportunities to engage in acts of cultural reconnection and resurgence.

• Establishment of Indigenous House, a Living Learning Community in Student Housing for any students. Supported by the Indigenous Student Centre.
• Incorporation of Indigenous art, culture and language across campus including the naming of Waasamowin in the Summerlee Science Complex (SSC), artwork in the SSC, Enhanced Clinical Learning Centre, the Child Care & Learning Centre, Gryphons Athletics Centre, Vaccarino Centre for Student Wellness, Sculpture Garden at the Art Gallery of Guelph and the LINC Student Service Centre.
• Development of the Mtigwaaki trail and revitalization of the Indigenous Tea Garden in the Arboretum. Listen to A Space of Happy Beginnings, a story from the Hear, Here Arboretum project.

A commitment to remove systemic barriers in recruitment, development and promotion of First Nations, Inuit and Métis faculty, staff and Knowledge Holders is required to increase employment and engagement opportunities.

• Establishment of the All our Relations – Indigenous Staff and Faculty Circle to expand relations, for mutual support and to explore opportunities for networking, professional development, collaboration, advocacy and events.
• Development of the Protocol Guide for Working with Indigenous Peoples to provide individuals guidance on working with Indigenous Peoples, communities, and organizations including basic tools to begin this process from a place of trust and respect.
• Development of an Honorarium Guide for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders.
• Establishment of an Indigenous Identity Confirmation process for students and the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis learners deserve equitable access to an educational environment that allows them to achieve their academic pursuits while ensuring that they are able to strengthen their personal identity and cultural connectedness.

• Ongoing development of scholarships and bursaries for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students.
• Establishment of the Open Doors Program for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students and Black students. for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students and Black students.
• Establishment of the Indigenous Identity Confirmation Process for Students and the development of a guide on Indigenous student self-identification.
• Strengthened relationship between the Indigenous Student Centre and Student Housing Services, the Registrar and Institutional Research and Planning with the goal of enhancing support for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students.

Excellence in research with Indigenous communities necessitates working collaboratively within ethical spaces and respecting Indigenous sovereignty.

• Development of resources for faculty, staff, and students to support research with and for Indigenous peoples:
  • Conducting Indigenous Research website (Research Services)
  • Indigenous Data Sovereignty short guide (Library)
  • Doing Indigenous Research webinar (Collaboration with Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres)
• Revision of research ethics questions for research with Indigenous participants, communities for integration into the EthOS system.
• Establishment of the Fulfilling Indigenous Peoples Community Responsibilities award as part of the Indigenous Graduate Scholarship.

Respectful and impactful curricular change demands the establishment of processes, expertise and resources that support the culturally appropriate inclusion of Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy.

• Appointment of an Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Pedagogies in the Office of Teaching and Learning.
• Appointment of an Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies in the School of Languages and Literatures.
• Developed a resource guide exploring the meaning and implications of Indigenization, Reconciliation and Decolonization in the post-secondary context.
• With funding from the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Opportunity program, delivered Conversations with the Sámi: Revitalizing Indigenous Lands and Cultures, an award-winning summer field school.