OFFICE OF ABORIGINAL EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENTANNUAL REPORT | 2014 - 2015

Hay ch qa’ sii'em siye' yu mukwmustimuxw.

In keeping with regional protocol, Vancouver Island University students, staff, faculty and administration would like to acknowledge and thank the Snuneymuxw First Nation, Tla'amin First Nation, Snaw-naw-as First Nation and the Cowichan Tribes for allowing students, staff, faculty and administration to teach, learn, live and share educational experiences on the traditional territories of these nations.

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT

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Picture of Dr. Ellen White, also known as Kwulasulwut ("Many Stars") or Aunty Ellen. Aunty Ellen was one of VIU's first Elders-in-Residence in

the First Nations Studies program.

Annual Report 2014 - 2015

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The OAEE and SAS are often considered as being one and the same within VIU; however they are separate departments with distinct roles and responsibilities/mandates. SAS is located within Student Affairs and provides direct support and services to Aboriginal students, while the OAEE reports to the Provost Office and works more specifically with Aboriginal communities in the area of project development. The two areas work closely together as the relationship between Aboriginal students and communities is naturally connected.

VIU Faculites

AboriginalEducation

&Engagement

RegionalCampuses

Servicesfor Aboriginal

Students

WHO WE ARE....

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IN DOING THIS WORK...

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ELDERS-IN-RESIDENCE

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ELDERS’ TEACHINGS

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HWULMUXW MUSTIMUXW SIIEM (HMS)

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HWULMUXW MUSTIMUXW SIIEM (HMS)

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What is an Aboriginal Service Plan?

An Aboriginal Service Plan (ASP) is a three-year rolling strategic plan for enhancing the post-secondary educational experiences and outcomes of Aboriginal learners. The ASP is a provincial initiative funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education which began as a pilot in 2008 with the goals:

1. Increase access, retention, completion and transition opportunities for Aboriginal learners;

2. Strengthen partnerships and collaboration in Aboriginal post-secondary education; and

3. Increase the receptivity and relevance of post-secondary institutions and programs for Aboriginal learners, including providing support for initiatives that address systemic barriers

VIU's ASP is developed and implemented collaboratively with our Aboriginal communities. It is reviewed and ranked by our HMS Committee and submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education on an annual basis. This funding has enabled us to develop and enhance Aboriginal services and programs. We are grateful to the Ministry's ongoing commitment in this area.

IndigenousKnowledgeand Language

StudentSuccess

Teaching andLearning

CommunityRelations

The ASP Goals align withVIU's Four Priorities:

ABORIGINAL SERVICE PLAN

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2014 - 2015Community Highlights:• Penelakut Adult Education Centre• Snuneymuxw House of Learning• Hul'qumi'num Regional Language Strategy• Stz'uminus First Nation Adult Program

2013 - 2014Community Highlights:• Penelakut Adult Education Centre• Snuneymuxw House of Learning• Chemainus Native College• Tillicum Lelum: Adult Learning Centre

VIU Highlights:• Support to Regional Campuses• Health and Human Services Indigenization of Curriculum• Certificate in Business Fundamentals• Aboriginal Intro to Trades

VIU Highlights:• VIU's Aboriginal Education Plan• Health and Human Services Indigenization of Curriculum• Indigenous Portfolio Coordinator• Indigenous Teaching & Scholarship Series

Community$195,00035%

VIU$354,665

65%

Community$105,00022%

VIU$380,273

78%

ASP FUNDING ALLOCATION

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One heart, one mindNa'tsa'maht Shqwaluwun in Hul'qumi'num is “one heart, one mind” and the title for our Understanding Indigenous Perspectives Learning Series. Na'tsa'maht offers four different course offerings to VIU faculty, staff, and interested community groups to enhance awareness of Indigenous protocol, history, and worldview and explores concepts such as reconciliation and reciprocity between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

NA'TSA'MAHT SHQWALUWUN One heart, one mind

Reconciliation: This session explores

Canada's history from an Aboriginal perspective. It provides opportunity for those who are interested in furthering their u n d e r s t a n d i n g s a n d p e r s o n a l responsibilities toward reconciliation and healing.

Relevancy: The course identifies the necessary components to work towards a decolonizing approach to practice to create relevant learning opportunities for Aboriginal students. This course is developed and co-facilitated by VIU Aboriginal students to gain a first hand perspective.

Reciprocity: This course combines

readings, lectures, discussions, outings, and personal reflection oppo r tun i t i e s to encou rage participants to think critically about the place of Indigenous knowledge and the academy in a contemporary context and to express their thoughts creatively.

Respect: This introductory session,

facilitated by VIU Elders-in-Residence, provides the basis for understanding the importance of acknowledging the traditional territories we inhabit as well as identifying other important areas of protocol.

Na'tsa'mahtShqwaluwun

For further information on this series go to : http://www2.viu.ca/aboriginal/

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To date approximately 100 staff and faculty at VIU have participated in the various components of this learning series. These sessions have also been delivered outside of VIU and made available to interested community groups and organizations.

"The readings, discussions and field trips I participated in through Learning How to Be Together increased my awareness of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I learned about the importance of building relationships and nurturing connections with others and the land. I also now recognize more the importance of emotional competence, sharing oneself with others and speaking from the heart. These learnings will impact my work indirectly as they will impact my way of being and interacting in the world".

Quote from Learning to Be Together participant

Picture is of Learning to Be Together participantsexperiencing the traditional art of canoe carvingand learning its cultural significance from a CoastSalish perspective

NA'TSA'MAHT SHQWALUWUN One heart, one mind

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'SU'LUQW'A’

Aboriginal Student Mentorship The Aboriginal Mentorship Program '’Su'luqw'a' builds leadership capacity among mentors by building their confidence to share their stories of persistence in education. In this outreach activity, a sense of belonging is fostered and community connections are made.

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IMPACT AND FUTURE PLANS

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COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS

The OAEE is committed to delivering university courses and programs relevant to individual Aboriginal communities' social, cultural and economic goals. The following is a summary from the Report: Gathering Feedback on VIU's Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnership Program (ACBDPP) Implementation June 2015. Input was gathered from students, instructors and communities involved in these deliveries and a snapshot of the findings are identified below.

Impact of Community-based Deliveries

•Networking and gaining community•Personal growth and wellness•Increased access to post-secondary education•Improved employment outcomes

•Building relationships and increased awareness of Aboriginal students' realities•Enhancing connection to Indigenous perspectives•Changing practice

•Social impact - inspiring communities and generating excitement about education and training •Cultural impact - applying technical skills to generate cultural value for community •Economic impact - supporting businesses in Aboriginal communities

Students Instructors

Communities

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EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

This diagram attempts to identify the complex relationships involved with a model of reciprocity

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INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

This diagram highlights the diverse collaborations of the OAEE within VIU's community.

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2014 -15 DELIVERIES

COMMUNITY-BASED ACTIVITY Regs FTEsBusiness Fundamentals for Aboriginal Communities 143 17.88Aboriginal Ecotourism 25 2.5

Strong relationships are crucial to the success of community-based deliveries. Promising practices for establishing and maintaining authentic relationships include: engaging with communities beyond the defines of program delivery, obtaining broad institutional support to demonstrate authenticity, and building trust through learning to be together.

INTERNAL ACTIVITY Regs FTEsLearning to be Together: Indigenous Knowledge & the Academy 26 1.52Dr. Lee Brown Workshops 55 1.52

Total 168 20.38

Total 81 3.04

Grand Total 249 23.42

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AGREEMENTS

AGREEMENTS WITH ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

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DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ANDCOMMUNITY OUTREACH

Xwii'xwi'em: Digital StorytellingThe story was recorded in Hul'qumi'num and illustrated as a graphic/audio e-book. This book will be used as a resource in language teaching in the schools, university, community and homes. The group came together to share a common interest and understood the importance of supporting Hul'q'umi'num language revitalization projects. The project was community driven and supported.

Project Partners: BC campus OPDF Grant, Coast Salish Employment and Training Society, Royal Roads University, School District 68 Nanaimo, School District 79 Cowichan, Simon Fraser University, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Vancouver Island University

Elders advisory group: Philomena Alphonse, Ruby Peter, Laureen Charlie and Dora Wilson

This Hul'q'umi'num story can be accessed at:http://abed.sd79.bc.ca/hulqumimum-resourses/ruler-of-the-forest/

yuw'i'na'qwstthuhwthuthiqut

nutsim' yuhw'a'lu'ushusshtiil'a'lustthusxayukw'us

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DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Tribal Journeys, Qatuwas 2014VIU worked with the community of Bella Bella on an initiative funded through Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnership Program centered on tourism to deliver a Certificate in Event Management for community members. The central theme for all courses was to help students in the preparation for Tribal Journeys-Qatuwas 2014. Inclusive of this partnership was the invitation for VIU to participate in the journey. Students, staff and faculty led by Gary Manson, one of VIU's Elder-in-Residence, as the cultural teacher and skipper, made the journey creating a first-hand experience living off the land, the water, learning protocol and participating in cultural events hosted in each community.

We lift our hands up in appreciation to the Heiltsuk Nation for their invitation and for hosting us. Hay chqa’

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"This is a spiritual journey: the more stuff you go through out there, the more you learn inyour heart, the more you go through, the more you will get to know yourself".

Gary Manson, Snuneymuxw First Nation, VIU Canoe Family Skipper and Elder-in-Residence

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NEW TOTEMS AT VIU

Noel Brown(Snuneymuxw First Nation)

Qwaya Sam(Nuu Chah Nulth First Nation)

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY WITH DR. LEE BROWN

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The OAEE partnered with VIU's Consciousness Group in May 2015and offered the following workshops facilitated by

Dr. Lee Brown, Indigenous Scholar from the Cherokee Nation:

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CONFERENCES & PRESENTATIONS 2014 -15

International Indigenous Symposium, Prior Learning Assessment and Santiago, Chile Recognition Conference: Belleville,

Ontario

CACUSS Conference: Vancouver, BCConsortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) Conference: Tucson Arizona

LUNCH AND LEARN ABOUT RESEARCH AT VIU

Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment(CAPLA) Conference: Ottawa, Ontario VIU Teaching and Learning

Symposium,

October, 2014: Presented onMay, 2015: 2 day Workshop Presentation:The Canoe of Life Model for Indigenous Indigenous ways of knowing & learningPortfolios.

May, 2015: Workshop presentation:'Su' Luqw'a' Community Cousins:Planning for the Whole Student

October, 2014: Panel Presentation onThe Next 20: Pathways, Partners, Paradigms.

April 2015: Haq wil la hlo is sim:Walk slowly on the Breath of your Ancestors

November, 2014: Presented on

The Canoe of Life Model for Indigenous

May, 2015: Presentation:Portfolios

Building Community Within the Classroom: Helping All Students Feel Connected

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POSTER CAMPAIGN

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VIU ABORIGINAL ALUMNI

"The most important part of my educational journey has been learning how to be self-aware. Learning to challenge myself, finding out what my limits are and my favourite, using my experiences to encourage others to keep going.”

Ashley OkrainecGwitchin, from LiidliiKue(Fort Simpson, NWT)Bachelor of ScienceAshley graduated in June 2015 and is working as an Aboriginal Engagement and Consultation officer for Parks Canada.

"My biology professor’s ability to teach concepts to students in class really inspired me to challenge myself and work harder in order to gain the most out of the classes I took with him, and I feel like I couldn't have learned more from one single person.

Darcy GoodCoast Salish, Snuneymuxw First NationBachelor of Science, Major in BiologyDarcy was accepted into UBC's medical school in September 2014.

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SHQ'APTHUT, A GATHERING PLACE

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INDIGENOUS PORTFOLIO

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INDIGENOUS PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT MODEL

INDIGENOUS PORTFOLIO

MENTALThinking

PHYSICALDoing

SPIRITSeeing

EMOTIONALFeeling

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ABORIGINAL BRIDGING PROGRAM

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LOOKING FORWARD

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OFFICE OF ABORIGINAL EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT

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Graphic design and layout; Gianni Grando, GDC Member“Eyes of man” cover art; Gianni Grando