Yukon College hosts Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Indigenous Education Symposium

February 22, 2016

WHITEHORSE-130 academics from across Canada will gather at Yukon Colleges’ Ayamdigut campus this week to share best practices and explore strategies on serving Indigenous learners as well as tackling how best to support reconciliation in Canada.

Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) annual Indigenous Education Symposium will present different perspectives from leaders, experts and practitioners from colleges and institutes, Aboriginal communities and industry.

The theme of this year’s Symposium is Supporting Reconciliation through the Indigenous Education Protocol. Building both on the CICan Indigenous Education Protocol, announced in December 2014, and the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, delivered in December 2015, which emphasized the role of education in fostering reconciliation.

Through the lens of reconciliation, Symposium discussions will be structured around the seven principles in the Protocol:

  • Indigenous Education as an Institutional Priority
  • Governance Structures that Recognize and Respect Indigenous Peoples
  • Curriculum and Learning Approaches that implement Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural Traditions
  • Approaches for increasing Understanding and Reciprocity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples
  • Challenges and Solutions for increasing the number of Indigenous Employees at Colleges and Institutes
  • Indigenous-centred Holistic Services and Learning Environments for Learner Success
  • Strong Partnerships to support Self-determination of Indigenous Communities

The Symposium opens Tuesday evening with a welcome reception at the Yukon Inn, followed by two full days of presentations, panels and round table discussions at Yukon College. The full schedule can be found at collegesinstitutes.ca/event/cican-2016-indigenous-education-symposium/.

Alongside the Symposium Yukon College is hosting a First Nations Art & Crafts Show, featuring work from over 20 artists and craftspersons, Wednesday February 24 and Thursday February 25 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in The Pit. Free to enter. Everyone Welcome.