Gilakas’la everyone – today, I am sharing an update on the Strategic Plan deliverable on the Continued advancement of the Indigenous Vision, which falls under our commitment to creating globally relevant connections.
We are excited to be in the fourth year of our Indigenous Vision. We are grateful for “Team BCIT’s” ongoing commitment to the Indigenous Vision and reconciliation. This commitment is evident in the many great projects, programs, services, and training initiatives across campus.
To date, we continue to work in collaboration with Student Services, Schools, Department Heads, and faculty on creating Reconciliation Action Plans, curriculum enhancement, and program and course development. We are also working with Directors, Associate Directors, and Department Managers on student support initiatives, partnership development, event planning, and implementation and policy review and development. We have established ongoing meetings with various external partner groups, the local First Nations, and community youth groups to ensure we have authentic engagement and partnerships.
In addition, we continue to work in collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Centre to introduce the Indigenous Cultural Awareness modules in Mandarin and French, Thrive (previously known as Pathways), and the Indigenous Wellness Toolkit. We are grateful to have received support from Finning that allowed us to launch our Visiting Elder Initiative, which now sees a broader representation of Indigenous communities as eight Elders represent nations across BC and Canada.
Together with the BCIT community, we continue to host the We Will Always Remember campaign, Orange Shirt Day with Elders and Knowledge Keepers to honour Indigenous history and remember the lives lost and impacted by residential schools. We continually seek to introduce Indigenous Youth to BCIT through tours and hosting urban Indigenous youth at our Indigenous Youth Gathering which occurred on May 29 at the BCIT Burnaby Campus.
We look forward to continuing our partnerships and collaboration with all BCIT Schools and Departments as we continue to strive to make BCIT the choice for Indigenous learners to begin their educational journey.
Watch the Loop for announcements on upcoming workshops, book clubs, and Indigenous led events where you can continue your learning journey on Indigenous history, traditions, and culture. If you would like to learn more about our initiatives email Indigenous@bcit.ca
Thank you,
Kory Wilson
Executive Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships
Commitment: Globally relevant connections
Initiative: Indigenous perspective and priorities
Deliverable: Continued advancement of the Indigenous Vision
Deliverable lead: Kory Wilson, Executive Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships