CTLT Indigenous Initiatives Welcomes New Staff, Carissa Block!

CTLT Indigenous Initiatives is pleased to welcome Carissa Block to the team!

Carissa is joining us in the role of Educational Programs Coordinator. She will be supporting the planning, delivery, and evaluation of professional development programs.

We asked Carissa a few things to get to know her better.

Three Fun Facts  

  • I was born in the Caribbean; my first home was a sailboat.  
  • I have never eaten meat, despite my dad becoming a pig farmer when I was in high school. 
  • I love sailing and am always excited to chat about any ocean related activities.  

What are some of the things you have started working on in your new role? And what are some of the areas you are looking forward to exploring?

My first week began with many Zoom meetings as I met my new team members and started the onboarding process. I am looking forward to meeting everyone in person sometime soon!  

I have begun exploring the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP) in greater depth, specifically the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund, the ISP Implementation Toolkit. I will be supporting the II Team’s work in those areas and look forward to learning more about them in the coming weeks.  

During my first week I started attending consultation meetings between II Team members and various department representatives. It was very interesting to hear how different teams are approaching the ISP and inspiring to watch the II Team guide them on their learning journeys. I look forward to collecting the feedback and experiences shared by those working with the ISP, and exploring how to incorporate that information into current and future projects.  

What excited you about joining this team/working on this project?  

I spent the last two years providing technical support for the Indigenous Initiatives Team’s workshops. During that time, I learned so much from each team member. I was incredibly inspired by the work they were doing and how they collaborated together on those projects. When the opportunity arose to join the II Team, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.  


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