As George Brown College celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, we are highlighting important changes happening across the entire college community as we continue to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing into curricula, classroom practices and institutional decision-making.
While the Indigenous Initiatives team continues to lead change across GBC, it is also making important connections outside the college. Indigenous Initiatives was a proud community partner of the 2023 Indigenous Arts Festival on June 18 at Toronto’s Fort York, supporting the local talent of DJ Shub, singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish, and artist food payment through community food security project Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People).
The team was also onsite at the event to share information about events, opportunities, knowledge sharing and services at GBC.
This year's National Indigenous Peoples Day also marks the one-year anniversary of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) we signed with our Treaty Partner, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN). This partnership plays a big role in many important changes as we continue to implement GBC’s Indigenous Education Strategy (IES).
GBC's Indigenous Education Strategy
Released in February 2022, the strategy highlights the meaning of Indigenous education for the college and provides the foundation for institutional change.
Indigenous Initiatives Updates, 2022-23
A series of important changes have taken place at GBC since the IES launch in 2022, including the following:
Agreement with Treaty Partner, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
In the spirit of reciprocity, GBC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mississaugas of Credit First Nation (MCFN) on June 21, 2022. The three-year MOU outlines several initiatives to support efforts of Indigenization and decolonization at the college and greater collaboration with GBC’s Treaty Partners.
Indigenous Student Centre opens at Waterfront Campus
On January 30, 2023, an Indigenous Student Centre opened at Waterfront Campus. In addition to the existing Indigenous Student Centres at Casa Loma and St. James campuses, this space is a ‘home away from home’ for Indigenous learners. It provides them access to printing, computers, sacred medicines, and Indigenous Initiatives employees who can assist with financial, cultural, and academic inquiries.
The use of Indigenous languages at the Waterfront Campus Indigenous Student Centre and the physical inclusion of the land acknowledgement statement at all three campuses support Article 14 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Series
In its second year, the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Series (IKKS) hosted speakers from within and outside the college in different stages of life learning to share experiences with underlying principles of respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility. Themes for the series were chosen in alignment with days of significance. The Indigenous Initiatives team invites the college community to the IKKS to commemorate events often held in collaboration across several college departments.
The GBC community was invited to an event featuring Olympian and Indigenous Rights Activist Waneek Horn-Miller to commemorate the 2022 National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and an Earth Day event featuring Anishinaabe Indigenous rights advocate and leading global youth environmental activist Autumn Peltier.
Support for Indigenous Learners
Donor funding in the amount of $500,000 was secured, as well as the creation of three new full-time employee roles to provide greater support to Indigenous learners at GBC.
To aid in recruitment efforts, entrance scholarships are available to incoming students, as well as designated seats for Indigenous learners who are interested in applying to programs that are typically oversubscribed.
Indigenous Mentorship Program
This program launched in January 2023 and offers peer-to-peer academic mentorship, community connection, workshops to build professional and personal skills, culturally enriching activities, and more.
Indigenous Self-Identification Campaign
The campaign was launched in September 2022, following a four-phase development plan in collaboration with the Centre for Business.
Inaugural Sacred Fire Ceremony for Orange Shirt Day
On September 30, 2022, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, Indigenous Initiatives held a Sacred Fire Ceremony at Waterfront Campus for the GBC community to participate in. Participants were welcomed to offer tobacco into the fire, and drummers welcomed the ceremony. In preparation for the Sacred Fire Ceremony, Indigenous Initiatives held a special edition of the Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Series (IKKS) with a Fire Keeper to prepare participants for the event protocols.
A closer look at the Indigenous Education Strategy (IES)
Here’s an overview of progress as it relates to the IES seven pillars:
- Pillar 1, Resources: Manager, Indigenous Initiatives, hired in May 2023. Donor funding of $500,000 was secured to support Indigenous learners.
- Pillar 2, Mentorship: George Brown College’s first Indigenous Mentorship Program launched for the 2023 winter semester.
- Pillar 3, Recruitment: New employee for the role of Indigenous Recruitment and Outreach Specialist to advance the Targeted Recruitment Plan for fall 2023.
- Pillar 4, Community Partnerships: George Brown College signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Treaty Partners Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) on June 21, 2022. The Indigenous Initiatives team has since achieved eight of 10 MOU commitments, most notably launching access programming on reserve in September 2023.
- Pillar 5, Indigenous Self Identification: The Indigenous Self Identification campaign was launched in January 2023 to capture race-based data with approximately 600 participants to date.
- Pillar 6, Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): Indigenous Initiatives hosted its inaugural Sacred Fire Ceremony on September 30 and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Series (IKKS) programming to advance both frameworks.
- Pillar 7, Curriculum and Indigenous Pedagogy: Two new employees, including Indigenous Curriculum Specialist/Consultant and Content Developer.
