As the weather shifts we hope that you are staying warm and dry. Perhaps settling in with a nice cup of tea as you explore the announcements, new resources and exciting events shared below.

November 20th marked Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honour those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence. A disproportionate number of those lost each year are Indigenous/Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer community members. This is something that has been deeply considered through the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Inquiry’s report and corresponding MMIWG2S Calls for Justice contain invitations to action for those in education and various other professions and institutions to protect and hold up the lives of our trans Indigenous, Two-Spirit, and Indigiqueer relatives. 

The II Team is piloting a new consultation intake process to help create the best possible matches between requests and consultants. If you or one of your colleagues is looking for support, please use this form.  

Note: This form is intended for NEW consultation requests. If you have any feedback about the process, please don‘t hesitate to reach out to carissa.block@ubc.ca 

The Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund supports implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP), applications for the fund open on October 31, 2024. Funds are available to support projects that advance UBC‘s ISP across both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. In 2024-2025, an estimated $500,000.00 is available to ISI Fund applicants. 

For this funding cycle the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) funding is allocated across two streams; Faculty and Staff Led Projects, Student Led Projects. 

UBC faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend upcoming information sessions. The application deadline for Student Led Projects is January 17, 2025. The Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline for Faculty and Staff Led Projects is January 17, 2025.  

Are you ready to transform your teaching approach and deepen your understanding of Indigenous contexts? Join us for a conversation-based workshop designed specifically for teaching and learning professionals eager to indigenize their courses but are feeling unsure of where to start. 

Date: November 28, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location: Online

Many units across UBC have begun working with the Indigenous Strategic Plan Toolkit over the past few years. We are hosting a gathering for folks who have been involved in the ISP Toolkit engagement process, or those who hope to be involved in the future. A common piece of feedback that we have heard from units across campus is how valuable peer to peer connections are. This is a community building opportunity to share knowledge and advice with others doing this work. Most of the time will be spent in small groups conversing over light refreshments, with a large group debrief at the end.  

The session is presented by OISI and the Indigenous Initiatives Team at the Centre for Teaching Learning and Technology (CTLT). Everyone is welcome!

Date: December 3, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Dodson Room 302

We welcome you to attend one of CTLT Indigenous Initiatives‘ monthly Virtual Coffee Hours. They are an informal space to connect with consultants on the team and other colleagues across the university. Some common topics that come up include:  

• Professional development plans for individuals, teams, and departments  
• Engaging with the Indigenous Strategic Plan
• Fostering a respectful classroom and campus climate
• Connecting with a network of people across the university
• Locating relevant resources
• Meaningful land acknowledgements

…and more!

Upcoming Dates: 

• November 21, 2024
• December 4, 2024

Do you have an idea of how to use up to $25,000 to bring the Indigenous Strategic Plan to action? Are you looking for a supportive space to explore this opportunity further? Regardless of where you may be at in the proposal writing process, please join us for an informal opportunity to connect and get support and guidance with your ISI proposal.  

What to expect: A dedicated space for you to share your ideas and/or questions and to receive support from your peers and staff at UBC. We are excited to be able to offer pizza and prizes for attendees.  

Date: December 4, 2024
Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Location: First Nations House of Learning, East Wing

Please join the CTLT Indigenous Initiatives Team for their inaugural Classroom Climate Forum. Expect a day of connecting, witnessing, learning, and laughs as we move together through curated sessions and facilitated conversations created to engage participants in relationally led learning on Classroom Climate by campus partners and the CTLT Indigenous Initiatives team.   

Date: December 11, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 3:30pm
Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Dodson Room 302

Did you know that we have staff at Indigenous Initiatives who work jointly with Central HR, focusing on Indigenous related professional development projects? Indigenous staff participating in this year‘s Workplace Experiences Survey (WES) can help guide upcoming projects and initiatives supporting Indigenous staff professional development needs. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes and is live until November 22nd. Tomorrow is the last day!

With support from Telus Storyhive, CIS student Josh McKenna has released the radical leftist Métis politics podcast Sickle & Sash. Season 1, recorded at UBC's CEDaR Space, is now available on Telus Stream+ and YouTube. 
 
Sickle & Sash is a Métis podcast made for, and by, Métis people. The series seeks to reunify Métis politics and culture, to empower the nation as a whole. Dr. Howard Adams, the first Métis person in "Canada" to get his PhD., introduced the concept of “cultural imperialism” as it relates to Indigenous-Settler relations in Canada in the mid-1970‘s. Today, cultural imperialism – the ongoing effort to emphasize the cultural aspects of our Indigeneity, while separating us from the contemporary and historical politics key to our identity – still presents a threat to the Métis people, and Indigenous people as a whole. As Métis academic Adam Gaudrey notes, Michif concepts like “kaa-tipeyimishoyaahk—which means they own or govern themselves, and wahkohtowin— meaning the act of being related to one another” were essential aspects of our self-determination based government structures, and even extended to the way our buffalo hunts functioned. In other words, as Métis, our radical politics were not only essential to our livelihood, but also to who we are as a people. Through community engagement, Sickle & Sash combats cultural imperialism, welcoming community members on as guests to discuss our historical and contemporary politics, and how these politics have, and continue to be, interwoven with our culture and identity.  

We encourage you to read his official obituary shared by his family.

Join Climate Justice UBC, SFU350, and the UBC Climate Hub for a community screening and discussion of YINTAH. Come build Wet’suwet’en solidarity, learn more about Indigenous land defense, and engage in meaningful dialogue about Indigenous sovereignty and climate justice!

Date: November 22, 2024
Time: 5:00pm - 9:00pm (including intermission + food)
Location: UBC Centre for interactive Research in Sustainability (CIRS), 2260 West Mall

This workshop offers a rare and powerful opportunity to learn from two highly experienced and talented consultants who bring their lived experiences and identities into every aspect of their practice and teaching. Michelle Buchholz, a proud Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan woman, utilizes her visual practice as a form of witnessing, drawing on Wet’suwet’en governance practices and focusing on uplifting and amplifying Indigenous wisdom. Adriana Contreras Correal, a first-generation immigrant from Colombia, uses her artistry as a medium for intercultural communication, translating complex stories and collective wisdom into accessible visual narratives. Together, they provide an enriching, decolonizing approach to visual thinking and graphic recording, fostering deeper understanding and connection across diverse communities. 

We are planning this workshop to learn about and promote decolonial approaches for  community engagement work across UBC. At this stage, we’re gathering interest! If you’d like to attend, please take a moment to short survey to confirm your interest, availability, and the affordability of the workshop for you. 

Date: February 20 + 21, 2025
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Place of Many Trees, Liu Institute, UBC Vancouver 

The Yellowhead Treaty Map is an accessible introduction to Indigenous perspectives on treaties in Canada. It describes the context, negotiation process and terms of treaties – as well as the implications of failing to honor them.

The Map depicts three eras of treaty-making: Pre-Confederation (1763-1867), Confederation-Era (1867-1921), and so-called “Modern” Treaties (1975-Present). It also includes descriptions of the era of Indigenous diplomacy and an overview of non-treaty lands. The Treaty Map is a comprehensive overview of treaty in Canada.

Once a vast expanse of water teeming with life, all that exists today of Semá:th Xo:tsa are hazy black and white photos of a lake no more. But that may change soon. Continue reading this article from The Ubyssey to learn more. 

For millennia, Indigenous communities have maintained forest gardens, a type of historically managed ecosystem, along the Pacific Northwest coast. Continue reading this article from The Ubyssey to learn more.