A Commitment to Change

The Road to Reconciliation at Selkirk College

Selkirk College, along with many other post-secondary institutions across Canada, is increasing efforts to bring Indigenous voice and scholarship into programs and to build and change relationships with Indigenous learners and communities. This process is called Indigenization. 

Selkirk College Education Council’s Task Force on Governance Process for the Indigenization of Education (GPIE) was formed in May 2016 and had its Terms of Reference approved in August 2016. The formation of GPIE grew out of a desire to incorporate more of an Indigenization lens into the College’s academic governance. This desire came both from the grassroots level of faculty who are working towards decolonization, as well as senior leadership as relationships with our First Nation local governments are fostered and strengthened. The work of this Task-Force is on-going.

Indigenous Perspectives for Post-Secondary Education in the Southern Interior of BC

Selkirk College is grateful to have been part of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded research project:

• Project Synopsis By Christopher Horsethief, PhD, Dallas Good Water, MA, Harron Hall, BA, Jessica Morin, MA, Michele Morin, BSW, Roy Pogorzelski, MA

To view the full project synopsis please click here: "Viewpoints" on Reconciliation: Indigenous Perspectives for Post-Secondary

This research project synopsis presents diverse Indigenous community perspectives regarding the efforts needed to enable systemic change toward reconciliation within a public post-secondary educational institution in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The main research question for this project was “How does a community college respectfully engage in reconciliation through education with the First Nations and Métis communities in the traditional territories in which it operates?”

This research was realized by a team of six Indigenous researchers, representing distinct Indigenous groups within the region. It offers Indigenous perspectives, insights, and recommendations that can help guide post-secondary education toward systemic change. This research project was Indigenous led within an Indigenous research paradigm and done in collaboration with multiple communities throughout the Southern Interior region of British Columbia.

TRC in Action - Reconciliation Speaker Series: 

Speakers Series 2018

Dr. Leroy Littlebear - From a residential school on the Blood Reserve in Southern Alberta to the founding director of Harvard University’s Native American Program, Dr. Leroy Little Bear is recognized as one of the continent’s leaders in the advancement and acceptance of Indigenous worldview in education. 

Dr. Little Bear is an internationally renowned scholar at the forefront of Indigenous education. He recently received the Alberta Order of Excellence, is the recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, holds honourary doctoral degrees from the University of Lethbridge and the University of Northern British Columbia, is recognized as an Eminent Scholar in his community and has received an Urban Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement award from the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge.

On April 4, 2018 at the Civic Theatre in Nelson, Dr. Little Bear was a shining example of scholarship, leadership, collaboration and advocacy.

Dr. Evan Adams - Dr. Evan Tlesla II Adams is a Coast Salish actor and physician from the Tla’amin First Nation near Powell River, BC. Adams is currently the Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia.

Also an actor, his commanding presence was felt on the Tenth Street Campus in Nelson on March 7, 2018. He spoke passionately about how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action can be implemented in our health care system.

Speakers Series 2019

Jordan Abel - On March 16th, Abel presented a compelling talk about Indigeneity, intergenerational trauma, reconciliation and creative work. As Sam McKegney writes in Magic Weapons, “the residential school haunts Native literature in Canada.” Jordan Abel asks what it means to be Indigenous, what it means to be an intergenerational survivor of residential schools, and what it looks like to be at the intersection of Creative Writing, Digital Humanities, and Indigenous Studies.

Chief Robert Joseph - Chief Joseph participated as part of the Speaker's series on April 4th at the Capital Theatre. Chief Joseph is currently the Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada and a member of the National Assembly of First Nations Elders Council. He was formerly the Executive Director of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and is an honourary witness to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

As Chairman of the Native American Leadership Alliance for Peace and Reconciliation and Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation with the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IFWP), Chief Joseph has sat with the leaders of South Africa, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Washington, DC to learn from and share his understanding of faith, hope, healing and reconciliation. He spoke in Nelson on April 4 at the Capitol Theatre.

TRC in Action - Professional Development Opportunities

INDG 100 – Regional Perspectives on Languages and Culture: For Selkirk College employees wanting a better understanding of local Indigenous perspectives, Indigenous 100: Regional Indigenous Perspectives on Languages and Culture provides a five-day intensive introductory course that will explore the voices, cultures, histories, values, beliefs, oral traditions, literature and art of the Sinixt (Lakes), Okanagan-Sylix, Ktunaxa and Métis peoples.

Course Dates:

• May 6 – 10, 2019 (Castlegar)
• August 12 to 16, 1019 (Nelson)

For more information on both sessions please read our story. Or contact Raquel Mayorga in Selkirk College’s Continuing Education at 250.365.1208 or via email at castlegarce@selkirk.ca.

For resources, please visit the Teaching and Learning section.