April showers bring May flowers!

We hope you're all ready for a relaxing and rejuvenating summer. The Indigenous Initiatives Team wants to congratulate everyone on a wonderful school year. Take a moment and appreciate all your wonderful hard work. 

Good luck on your exams and good luck to all the exam markers. 

See you in May!

🌧️🌞🌷🌷🌷

We are thrilled to introduce two new members of the Indigenous Initiatives team: Nathalie Lozano Neira and Shannon Robinson, who are both joining us as Education Consultants: Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning.

Nathalie Lozano Neira is from Muysca territory in Colombia. She came to live in the occupied and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Səl̓ílwətaɬ, and Skwxwú7mesh Nations 23 years ago as a settler refugee. For over 20 years Nathalie has been involved in migrant justice and decolonial justice organizing efforts. She has experience in facilitation, curriculum development and community-based feminist research. She is a doctoral student in the Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Institute at UBC focusing on relationship building and relationality within Indigenous women grassroot collectives in Turtle Island (North America) and Abya Yala (Latin America). 

Shannon Robinson was born and raised in Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 territories, growing up on either side of the Red Deer River. Since 2012, Shannon has lived as an uninvited guest on the traditional, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ peoples. Shannon holds an undergraduate degree in Art History and First Nations & Indigenous studies at the University of British Columbia. Her professional background is in educational development, consultation and facilitation, community engagement, and curation.  She has held positions with the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, the Museum of Anthropology and other places where institutional and community voices intersect.

We are thrilled to have Nathalie and Shannon on our team, and we look forward to all the amazing ways they will grow this important work across campus.

Keep an eye out next month to learn more about Nathalie and Shannon!

Now in its fourteenth year, Celebrate Learning Week (CLW) will be hosted from May 2-9, 2023. The theme of this year‘s showcase is celebrating the Power of Place in Teaching and Learning. Specifically, the connections between place, teaching and learning in relation to UBC‘s Indigenous Strategic Plan.

The Indigenous Initiatives team has been hard at work dreaming up some wonderful workshops for this year's Celebrate Learning Week. Check out what we have on offer! 

UBC staff, students, and faculty as well as off campus community are welcome to attend CLW events. 

May 2, 2023
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Online

The Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund directly implements the 8 goals and 43 actions of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP). Stream 3 provides funding for student-led initiatives that have an impact at any level, including unit, Faculty, department, institution or other.

The inaugural ISI Fund Cycle 1: 2021-2023 distributed funds to seven successful student-led projects advancing the ISP at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan. This panel will showcase the ISI Fund work being done by current UBC undergraduate and graduate students to advance and implement the ISP through project-based work.

Facilitator:
Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot, Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs.

May 5, 2023
1:00pm - 2:30pm 
Online

What I Learned in Class Today is an educational resource that documents both student and faculty experiences, perspectives, and tools on navigating Indigenous content in the classroom at University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus. The resource originated as an Indigenous student project in 2007 and was renewed in 2018 by the Indigenous Initiatives Team within the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. The project team is excited to share project updates with the teaching and learning community on the recently developed resources, such as the Faculty and Student perspectives videos, articles, and other pedagogical tools. In this session we will highlight the following:

Showcase of the What I Learned in Class Today Website
A sneak peek of the What I Learned in Class Today Facilitation Guide and Toolkit
A demonstration of the Interactive-Video-Transcript Viewer

We will wrap up the session with a Q&A.

Facilitators:
Hannah Coderre, Educational Consultant, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Janelle Kasperski, Educational Consultant, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Sam Nock, Educational Resource Developer, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives

May 8, 2023
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Online
Registration Full with Waitlist 

Indigenous land is everywhere: beyond the city limits and within. There is immense power in the places where we live and learn. The land is one of our greatest and most abundant teaching partners. If you have ever been curious about land based education, join us for a discussion about land as a teacher and kin. This conversation will be deeply rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and LandBack as a framework of understanding relation to land within a settler-colonial context.

Facilitators:
Kyle Shaughnessy, Educational Consultant, Staff Training, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Samantha Nock, Educational Resources Developer, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives

May 9, 2023
10:00am - 11:30am
Online

Through the What I Learned In Class Today project, participants will learn how to intentionally approach Indigenous content and topics in the classroom and will learn how this can make a supportive and positive learning experience for all students.

This workshop requires participants to engage with asynchronous materials prior to the workshop, including watching the Renewed Student Perspectives Film: Educational Experiences and Institutional Responses, reading an article (approximately 30 minutes of pre-work), and completing a Padlet. Within the synchronous portion of the workshop we will be screening the What I Learned In Class Today Renewed Faculty Perspectives Video, followed by activities and discussion.

Learning Outcomes: This session will help participants to start critically engaging and reflecting on the following:

• How classroom climate impacts student experiences
• Appropriate engagement with Indigenous students within and beyond the classroom
• Ways to navigate Indigenous topics with care in the classroom
• Through the What I Learned In Class Today project, participants will learn how to intentionally approach Indigenous content and topics in the classroom and will learn how this can make a supportive and positive learning experience for all students.

This workshop requires participants to engage with asynchronous materials prior to the workshop, including watching the Renewed Student Perspectives Film: Educational Experiences and Institutional Responses, reading an article (approximately 30 minutes of pre-work), and completing a Padlet. Within the synchronous portion of the workshop we will be screening the What I Learned In Class Today Renewed Faculty Perspectives Video, followed by activities and discussion.

Learning Outcomes: This session will help participants to start critically engaging and reflecting on the following:

• How classroom climate impacts student experiences
• Appropriate engagement with Indigenous students within and beyond the classroom
• Ways to navigate Indigenous topics with care in the classroom

Facilitators:
Erin Yun, Educational Consultant, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Hannah Coderre, Educational Consultant, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives

Do you have questions about how to thoughtfully integrate Indigenous content and representation into your course work? Curious about how to offer meaningful land acknowledgements in online meetings or events at UBC? Indigenous Initiatives’ Virtual Coffee Drop-ins are great place to explore these topics, connect with others on the same learning path, or just get to know our team.

May 5th, 2023
6:00 - 8:00pm
23 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC

Join Massy Arts Society, Massy Books, and Nightwood Editions for KFC & Poetry, the launch of Old Gods by Conor Kerr, alongside fellow celebrated poets Brandi Bird & Molly Cross-Blanchard.

You are invited into the constant motion of Conor Kerr’s poetic work, as his poignant verses leap across landscapes and notions of time. Get your book signed, enjoy readings and conversations between three brilliant, multi-faceted writers.

This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible grâce au gouvernement du Canada. This event is supported by the British Columbia Arts Society.

Registration is free/by donation, open to all and required for entrance.

Purchase Old Gods at the event.