Summer is truly here, and with it has come the heat. We hope that you and your loved ones have places to stay cool over the coming weeks. The province has put together resources around preparing for and responding to extreme heat. You can also find advice on the City of Vancouver's website, along with a map of cooling centres. If you are interested in learning more about how cities become heat islands you can read this long form article from the CBC.  

As mentioned in that article, the dangers of heat are not evenly spread across every member of our community. You can learn more via our UBC colleagues project the "Climate Vulnerability Index". We encourage you to consider how you can support the most vulnerable people in our community during times of extreme heat. One possible option is to donate sunscreen, summer clothing, sandals, etc. to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre.  

We hope you have time to relax and unwind this summer, and look forward to reconnecting in August as we all prepare for the new term!  

Every four years, UBC faculty and those with teaching appointments are invited to participate in the Teaching Practices Survey (TPS). The purpose of the TPS is to “better understand how instructors structure learning for students and to give participants a forum for confidential feedback on the teaching climate at UBC” (link). The most recent iteration of the TPS, which wrapped up in May 2023, included responses from 714 faculty members, 70% of whom have over 10 years of teaching experience in a higher education setting.  

As a unit that supports faculty and students at UBC, the Indigenous Initiatives (II) team at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at the UBC Vancouver campus formulated a question that centered on approaches to Indigenization and decolonization in the classroom. We were interested in how teaching staff were responding to Goal 4 of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (2020), “Indigenizing our curriculum,” which encourages the University to “include Indigenous ways of knowing, culture, histories, experiences and worldviews in curriculum delivered across Faculties, programs and campuses”. 

Join CTLT Indigenous Initiatives in a guided exploration of the What I Learned in Class Today Project. During this session, the project team is excited to offer a demo of the Renewed What I Learned in Class Today Facilitation Guide and Toolkit. Participants will have the chance to ask questions and to reflect on ways to apply the What I Learned in Class Today resources to their specific learning contexts.

Date: August 21, 2024
Time: 10:30am - 11:30am
Location: Zoom

Indigenous Learning Pathways (ILP) is a new multi-course online training program led by CTLT Indigenous Initiatives and the Orientations & Onboarding program in Central HR, and involves collaboration and support from numerous staff, faculty and programs across UBC. Through carefully curated spotlights of in-person and online resources for Indigenous-focused learning already available at UBC Vancouver, ILP supports new staff to meaningfully and respectfully engage with Indigenous histories, knowledges, perspectives and realities in their role. Courses are self-directed and can be taken by individual learners or by entire teams/cohorts as part of their collective professional development goals.

Attend this session to learn more about the Indigenous Learning Pathways project, including a tour of the online courses, activities and video content, and learn about the ways ILP can be used to support your individual or departmental professional development goals. While ILP was designed with new staff in mind, course materials are available and applicable to all UBC staff and faculty.

Date: August 22, 2024
Time: 10:30am - 11:30am
Location: Zoom

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. 

Are you a First Nations, Inuit, or Métis student? Need $ for school? We can help!

Since 1996, Indspire has provided over $217 million in financial support through more than 66,000 bursaries, scholarships and awards to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. All Building Brighter Futures donations are matched by the Government of Canada allowing us to be double the impact for students.

Deadlines: August 1, November 1, February 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) is seeking workshops for the 28th Annual FNESC Education Conference, taking place at The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver. The conference opening evening is December 12, and the conference main days are December 13-14.

The conference theme, Connecting to Our Land, will explore how First Nations connections to the land are the foundation for many aspects of learning and education, including First Nations education authority, language learning, ecological learning, and more. The theme includes, but is not limited to, examples of First Nations language learning and on the land learning.

Workshop Application Deadline: September 4, 2024

UBC's Community Engagement Office is now accepting applications for the 2024 Partnership Recognition and Exploration (PRE) Fund. The fund awards up to $1,500 to fill small resource gaps so community partners can build reciprocal relationships with UBC students, faculty and staff.

We especially welcome applications for projects that advance:  

• Equity, diversity, and inclusion  
• Indigenous engagement and reconciliation
• Health innovation and community wellbeing  
• Sustainability and climate action  
• Teaching, learning, and research excellence

Join us for a conversation between artist and activist Marianne Nicolson (Kwakwa̱ka̱‘wakw, Musga̱maḵw Dzawada̱‘enux̱w) and curator and writer Jordan Wilson (Musqueam) on the current exhibition This Is An Emergency Broadcast and how it emerges from investigations into the history of political activism. The exhibition explores significant moments of Indigenous activism over the past 100 years by examining the role of gathering and resistance. Activated by a timeline of archival images and recorded audio, the exhibition addresses moments relevant to a history of collective colonial resistance, and the conversation will explore the relevance of this knowledge to continued efforts of resistance today.

Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

Date: August 10, 2024
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Belkin Art Gallery

“One of the main reasons IRSHDC (Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre) was created was to reduce barriers so that Survivors could find their own information instead of having to travel to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Manitoba or figure out which church archives had the record on their own. We’re here to help them navigate that complexity.” Read on to meet the staff of the IRSHDC and learn about their work supporting Residential School Survivors access records. 

Indigenous peoples have continually asked users of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to exercise caution even as it continues to wreak havoc in the domains of knowledge production. With AI‘s algorithmic harvesting of data, knowledge, artistic creations, conversations, and interactions becoming increasingly uncontrollable, users must reflect on these processes. Experts encourage supporting sustainable AI-powered content generation practices that avoid perpetuating the extractivist logic characteristic of settler colonialism.

Dr. David Gaertner, Associate Professor, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, and Associate Member of English Language and Literatures, argues how Indigenous practices of data stewardship, that for centuries have protected data sovereignty and cultural integrity, can help counter the settler desire for ’AI magic‘ that perpetuates harm and exploitation. Questioning usually-accepted notions of passive Indigenous adaptation to technological changes, Dr. Gaertner highlights how historically significant contributions to advancement in technologies by Indigenous and Black communities showcase alternative ways toward building a sustainable future.

In honour of Indigenous History Month, June‘s highlighted results from the Teaching Practices Survey (TPS) focus on integrating Indigenous topics, perspectives and worldviews.