Starting this semester, everyone on-campus will notice something new: the crest of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, along with the medallion of our Indigenous Initiatives team, proudly displayed next to the George Brown College logo on all campus doorways.
This is the first step towards creating a more visible Indigenous presence on campus – one of the commitments laid out in a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 21. It is also part of GBC’s longer-term commitment to our Indigenous Education Strategy.
“The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation are the treaty holders and ongoing caretakers of the land upon which our campuses are situated,” said George Brown President Dr. Gervan Fearon. “We are honoured to collaborate with and learn from this community, as we endeavour to build a culture of equity, reconciliation and belonging at George Brown.”
Audrey Rochette, Director, Indigenous Initiatives, said these decals are meant to encourage those on-campus to be curious, ask questions and inspire people to learn more about the traditional lands they inhabit.
“All three of George Brown’s campuses sit on treaty Mississauga land,” she said. “By creating and displaying these decals, we’re celebrating our treaty partners.”
The next step for on-campus visibility will be to create and display full Land Acknowledgement decals.
Other commitments within the MOU include working together on innovative access programming, co-creating curriculum and bringing Indigenous guest speakers into the classroom.
The college looks forward to building partnerships and relationships with other Indigenous nations as outlined in our Indigenous Education Strategy.
Learn more about the work we’re doing at georgebrown.ca/indigenous.
