{"id":14571,"date":"2017-09-05T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=14571"},"modified":"2017-09-20T10:51:03","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T17:51:03","slug":"can-camosun-reconcile-a-look-into-what-the-college-has-done-what-theyre-doing-and-what-they-need-to-do-for-reconciliation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2017\/09\/05\/can-camosun-reconcile-a-look-into-what-the-college-has-done-what-theyre-doing-and-what-they-need-to-do-for-reconciliation\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Camosun reconcile? A look into what the college has done, what they\u2019re doing, and what they need to do for reconciliation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part one
\n<\/strong>The legacy of residential schools<\/strong><\/p>\n

Canada was founded on colonialism. Indigenous people were swept aside as the European settlers made use of this land. Later on, there was an attempt to assimilate indigenous people through residential schools.<\/p>\n

According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), these schools were underfunded, poorly resourced, and, above all, traumatic for the students. Physical, emotional, cultural, and sexual abuse occurred to hundreds of thousands of indigenous people across several generations. The TRC reports that many survivors consider the entire experience of residential schools \u201ccultural genocide.\u201d While attempting to \u201ccivilize and Christianize\u201d indigenous people, the TRC says, the rest of Canadian society was taught\u2014if indigenous people were mentioned at all\u2014as if the indigenous cultures and people themselves were of no value. This dark part of Canadian history has slowly been brought to light over the past 20 years, but the impact will take generations to heal.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the TRC put forward 94 calls to action for various levels of government and institutions with the hope of \u201cestablishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country\u201d through \u201cawareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second-year Camosun Business student Canute Coleman says that it\u2019s imperative to treat issues regarding reconciliation with sensitivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese issues do exist, but it\u2019s when they get exposed and how they get exposed; that\u2019s how they get dealt with,\u201d he says. \u201cAn elder once said that when going to school she felt that she was crawling to catch up to certain other races that were only walking. So the issues that we\u2019re dealing with are quite sensitive. There always has to be that sensitivity, as well as the awareness, to First Nations issues, and it would be nice to make everybody aware of it. I think that\u2019s what we do as students and as educators, to a certain degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) First Nations representative and first-year Business student Thea Harris says making sure indigenous students \u201cfeel really culturally safe\u201d is a huge component of reconciliation. Whether or not indigenous students practice their culture, she says, this means ensuring that they do not feel their culture is affronted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that making students feel safe to come to school,\u201d she says, \u201cis a really important step into breaking down that residential school legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part two<\/strong>
\nWhat Camosun is doing right regarding reconciliation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

One thing that Camosun School of Access dean Ian Humphries wants to make clear is that the college was focused on making themselves relevant to indigenous people long before the TRC\u2019s calls to action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the TRC calls to action came out, we already had our four-cornerpost indigenization model,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had 25 years\u2019 worth of work towards indigenization, and we wanted to make sure we acknowledged and honoured all the work done prior to the calls to action. When we responded to the TRC\u2019s calls to action, we tried to frame everything within the four-cornerpost model,\u201d he says. (This model aims to bring \u201cindigenous ways of knowing, being, doing, and relating\u201d to all parts of the college, according to the college\u2019s website.)<\/p>\n

When students come to Camosun, there\u2019s no shortage of reminders that they are on the traditional territories of the Lkwungen and WS\u00c1NE\u0106 peoples. In many cases, instructors acknowledge the use of the territories at the beginning of the semester. Indigenous students are invited to gather at Na\u2019tsa\u2019maht, or the Gathering Place, the Coast Salish cedar log house located behind the Wilna Thomas building. There is also the indigenous peoples\u2019 resource centre, Ey\u0113\u0294 Sq\u0203\u2019lewen: The Centre for Indigenous Education and Community Connections, which is dedicated to helping indigenous students find careers and connect with their cultures. (Ey\u0113? Sq\u00e2\u2019lewen hosted the S\u2019TE\u1e48ISTOLW\u0331 [\u201cMoving Forward\u201d] conference from August 23 to 25; the conference focused on building reciprocal relationships and discussing indigenous adult education between indigenous people of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This story originally appeared in our September 5, 2017 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Camosun has purposefully been indigenizing itself since 2007, says Ey\u0113\u0294 Sq\u0203\u2019lewen director Janice Simcoe, the organization has been shifting since the addition of what was called First Nations Education in 1991, which is in some ways, she says, what is considered indigenization.<\/p>\n

With the addition of Ey\u0113\u0294 Sq\u0203\u2019lewen, indigenous students feel more welcome at school, says Coleman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey understand without even having to go really into great depth, they understand what it is to be a First Nations student; they understand a lot of the barriers,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s nice about providing that safe place for a First Nations student\u2014they don\u2019t have to explain everything, they just have to go there and feel welcome. They feel they belong, and with that feeling, you won\u2019t give up. It\u2019s kind of like a home away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider the School of Access: it can be seen as necessary for indigenous people getting back into school and furthering their careers, especially with the help given through indigenous partnerships like the Saanich Adult Education Centre. First-year Indigenous College Prep student Adelaide Elliot says that the college has been \u201csuper helpful\u201d to her lately.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m new to all this, so I get a lot of support,\u201d she says. \u201cI have advisors who help me with this, I got sponsorship, and everyone has been super helpful. I\u2019m going to the Saanich Adult Education Centre; that\u2019s where I\u2019ll be going in the fall. It\u2019s basically just built to support indigenous students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris says that when it comes to Camosun and reconciliation, the college has definitely acknowledged the past and put forward some great initiatives in changing their behaviour; as an example, she points to new college initiatives like cultural camps (courses based off campus focusing on indigenous culture with the land; an example of this is Q\u0106\u00c1SET Indigenous Cultural Camp (IST 250).<\/p>\n

Along with this work, she says, education is a major part in making sure everyone has the facts and knows the harm done to First Nations people by the residential school system; she says that if people aren\u2019t aware of what happened, they\u2019re not going to care.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that long ago,\u201d she says. \u201cFor me, it was my grandfather; for some other people that attend the school, it was their parents. So it\u2019s not that far behind us. Awareness is so big to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliot agrees that providing non-indigenous people with information on indigenous issues is a necessity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very true [that] a lot of it can be really harsh; stuff that\u2019s happened in residential schools, a lot of it still isn\u2019t spoken about,\u201d says Elliot. \u201cIt\u2019s horror stories, but people really need to hear it. It may not be easy to hear, but it\u2019s the truth, and it needs to be heard and told.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most important thing non-indigenous students can do to improve relations with indigenous students, says Simcoe, is learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn about us, learn about Canada\u2019s history, learn about this land,\u201d she says. \u201cLearn about the people of this land. If non-indigenous students and others know more, then that helps to facilitate relationships, so learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part three<\/strong>
\nWhat Camosun needs to do better<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harris says there have been some challenges for indigenous students in the Indigenous Business Leadership program due to a lack of knowledge, which fuels her passion in advocating for First Nations education. She says she doesn\u2019t know if the School of Business is \u201cquite there in terms of indigenization\u201d compared to other parts of the college.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a lack of education, lack of awareness of indigenous issues, on indigenous history,\u201d she says about where the School of Business falls short. \u201cI think most indigenous students can struggle in school. It wasn\u2019t an easy ride for any of us; there were some huge challenges, so in talking to my peers and my fellow students and hearing what they had to say, it made me really passionate about making sure that these students got every tool that they needed to be successful in the classroom. Again, I think the indigenous people have had a very tumultuous relationship with the education system, to say the least, so to see that kind of perpetuated in any <\/i>degree, if it\u2019s a tiny bit or a large amount, it\u2019s troubling to me, and so it makes me want to stand up and do something about it.\u201d (Camosun Business dean Richard Stride was unavailable for comment before press time.)<\/p>\n

Lack of awareness about indigenous issues\u2014for example, residential schools\u2014can be traced back to a lack of education for those who grew up in a different era, says Humphries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many people at the college around my age or so that, when we went from K-12, there was no reference to residential schools,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t have a lot of information, so the more information you can provide to employees in this case, there\u2019s great value in that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humphries points to the TEL\u0166IN T\u0166E WILNEW \u2013 Understanding Indigenous Peoples course that is available for employees to take to help them better understand the history of residential schools; for students, there are courses like IST 120 (Introduction to Indigenous Peoples).<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re able to take [IST 120] as an elective in many of the programs, with respect to helping people understand what\u2019s going on with the impact of residential schools, which is really hard to overstate,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s huge, with intergenerational impact, so what can we as an institution do about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Humphries says that he\u2019s even thinking of offering IST 120 to students before they step foot on a Camosun campus: he wants to include it in the South Island Partnership\u2019s dual credit secondary-school program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hope at this point,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s something we want to do in the future. We wouldn\u2019t have this in place in September or anything. We\u2019ve had some initial discussions with those in the South Island Partnership office, and had some discussions with schools such as Stelly\u2019s and Claremont and Parkland, and we haven\u2019t been able to pull it off yet, but it\u2019s something we\u2019d like to do in the future,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the college\u2019s Indigenization and Reconciliation Project Task Force is hoping for more indigenous artwork on the Lansdowne campus. Humphries says that he intends to do something with artwork in regard to the Young Building, which, he points out, is potentially problematic for indigenous students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Young Building looks like a residential school, unfortunately,\u201d he says. \u201cI am aware of indigenous students that have difficulty walking past the Young Building and will take a different route so as to not actually go past it or go in it, because it has a trigger effect. We have students that are residential school survivors themselves, or certainly have had family members [in the system], and it can trigger some students. I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll ever be able to overcome that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part four<\/strong>
\nIssues regarding indigenous education\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Camosun was an early leader at making schools a safe place for indigenous students, Harris says, but she feels there\u2019s always more work to do and that the school can always improve. One of the main challenges with indigenous students, she says, is the concept of\u00a0 \u201cdouble work,\u201d where indigenous students must educate others on their issues with education while trying to gain an education themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of indigenous students jump through a huge amount of hoops just to even get to school,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re there, having again to have to educate everyone around you when you yourself are just trying to be educated and you want to enjoy school can be a huge challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education of non-indigenous people on indigenous issues is seen as a priority in regard to indigenization and reconciliation at the college, says Humphries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that all Camosun graduates graduate with a better understanding of how to work with, know and relate, be with indigenous peoples,\u201d he says. \u201cCoinciding with some of the recommendations from the TRC calls to action, we are going to have mandatory Understanding Indigenous Peoples courses in programs like Criminal Justice, Nursing, Early Learning and Care, and Pre-Social Work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simcoe explains that while the TRC\u2019s education-focused calls to action have a focus on K-12 education, these calls also refer to professions, making them relevant to post-secondary education.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the calls to action that are related to education in general\u2014or related to development of professional learning that will result in professions but will result in changes in the areas that the TRC addresses\u2014post-secondary education has a role in it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Now that educational services for First Nations students have been made available, one of the next steps that students and educators I spoke with would like to see with reconciliation is the expansion of these services. Coleman says that growing up First Nations means having to find out not only what you want to do for a career, but also how you\u2019re going to get there. He says making spaces like Ey\u0113\u0294 Sq\u0203\u2019lewen and other services more noticeable is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can see, and other people can see, a success rate that\u2019s different from not having that safe space created for First Nations people\u2014to know that there\u2019s other First Nations students, whether they\u2019re from a neighbouring tribe or the same tribe\u2014that\u2019s key to First Nations education success,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Camosun Indigenous Studies chair Todd Ormiston says that while Camosun is doing well in developing indigenous programs for both indigenous and non-indigenous people, creating more spaces for students to gather on their own will help them feel culturally safe, as students have a greater sense of belonging within their group identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to create more spaces where indigenous students can gather on their own, and be able to feel culturally safe, and also travel through programs as a cohort, like they do in the Indigenous Studies program, where they can feel a sense of belonging and identity as indigenous students together as they go through courses and other disciplines,\u201d Ormiston says.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me,\u201d Harris says, \u201cthe next step\u2014especially in the Business school\u2014is indigenous business education for all people, not just indigenous people. I think that we\u2019re seeing all of the need to consult now, [with] all of these land settlements and claims and things like resource development, so the need to be aware of how to conduct business with indigenous people in a really productive and really respectful way is going to be so imperative in the coming years. I want to see indigenous business education be a little bit more mainstream and not be so niche for indigenous people. You\u2019re seeing that in a lot of other places, in other schools in the college, so for me it\u2019s like, let\u2019s do the business school too, indigenize the actual curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n

When talking about indigenizing the curriculum, Humphries notes that certain courses lend themselves to indigenization more readily than others. Harris says, however, that it\u2019s mandatory for indigenous people to know how to walk in both the indigenous world and the non-indigenous world. The benefit is through having multiple worldviews, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn more and you see through someone else\u2019s perspective and their lens; I think that it just makes you a better person,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re all better off when we acknowledge more than one worldview. I think the same goes for every subject in the college, so for me to see that happen in the Business school, it would be incredible to see an indigenous way of doing business, because I think the indigenous people were incredible business people. They were so entrepreneurial and they still are. So let\u2019s discuss that; that\u2019s exciting to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simcoe says that as long as there is a divide between indigenous and non-indigenous people there is a need for reconciliation. There are indigenous people who see reconciliation as being so far away that they\u2019re not supportive of it, she says, adding that she honours that perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I think that reconciliation occurs in stages. Talking about it and interacting, thinking together, about how we accomplish this is the first stage,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t expect it to be completed in my lifetime, but if we can step up from one phase to another to another, then we\u2019ve started a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coleman says that being sincere with reconciliation is key. Otherwise, he says, people will just try to achieve the bare minimum of reconciliation standards, defeating the purpose entirely. He remembers receiving a bursary after answering a question about reconciliation on the application.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was one of the questions for a bursary and scholarship application: \u2018What does reconciliation mean to you?\u2019 I answered it bluntly, but it was the complete truth: reconciliation means everything and nothing to me at the same time,\u201d he says. \u201cReconciliation, in its truest form, means everything to me, but reconciliation, if you\u2019re just going to pass it off just like corporate social responsibility and meet things at their bare legal minimum, then you can\u2019t even term it \u2018reconciliation\u2019; you\u2019re just trying to cover your bases. And I think in order to understand and get true reconciliation\u2014whether it\u2019s for an institution or the country\u2014you have to be sincere in what you\u2019re thinking about and calling reconciliation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part one The legacy of residential schools Canada was founded on colonialism. Indigenous people were swept aside as the European settlers made use of this land. Later on, there was an attempt to assimilate indigenous people through residential schools. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), these schools were underfunded, poorly resourced, and, above […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14571"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14572,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14571\/revisions\/14572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}