Indigenous Vision implementation

I am sharing an update on the Strategic Plan deliverable I’m leading, which falls under our commitment to build globally relevant connections and the initiative for Indigenous Perspective and Priorities.

As we are now in our third and final year of our first Indigenous Vision, we are both excited and pleased with all that has been done in the past two years and what we hope to achieve in the final year of this Vision. We are grateful to the BCIT community for all of the time and enthusiasm that you have given to support and advance the Indigenous Vision, which we hope will continue as we move towards our second Indigenous Vision. Everyone has a role to play in Reconciliation and together we are stronger.

Recent highlights have been supporting departments and schools to create their own Reconciliation Action Plans, ongoing education and having brave uncomfortable conversations to ensure systemic change, contributing to the various facilities projects around campus, increasing our cultural activities and events, stakeholder consultation for our Pathways project, beginning our CEDAR (Community Empowerment: Diversity and Authentic Reconciliation) project, ongoing work/presentations with the Sustainability Vision, and ensuring the IDEAS (Inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and sustainability) lens is used in all we do.

We will continue to work with departments and schools to create Reconciliation action plans, pilot the Pathways initiatives, update the Indigenous Awareness Modules and translate into other languages, ensure a smooth transition back to campus, and increase outreach of our cultural events and activities.

Our call-to-action for BCIT is that everyone does something to advance Reconciliation. You can do this by maximizing your skills and abilities and doing something in the places and spaces that you occupy. We are here to support you, please reach out to us at Indigenous@bcit.ca

Thank you,

(Photo above: BCIT students participate in a drum making workshop, hosted by Indigenous Initiatives.)