Education (Calls 6-12)

The University of Winnipeg acknowledges that we are gathered on ancestral lands, on Treaty One Territory. Our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. These lands are the heartland of the Métis people.

We are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC): Calls to Action. 

Programs and initiatives

Some of the programs and initiatives that members of The University of Winnipeg community have undertaken related to Calls to Action 6-12: Education are:

Build from Within Build. Teacher development program in partnership with the Winnipeg School Division. First cohort on campus underway Fall 2020, second cohort will be on campus Fall 2021. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Churchill Field Course. In 2014, a group of geography students mapped, photographed, and cataloged each burial site within the Churchill Cemetery as part of a service-learning project based on a request from community leaders. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Collegiate Truth and Reconcililation course. Learning experiences have included guest speakers Chief Wilton Littlechild, Gramma Shingoose, KC Adams, and Michael Champagne; films such as We Were Children, Rabbit Proof Fence, Angry Inuk, and Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up; and activities like sweat lodges, the Kairos Blanket Exercise, hoop-dancing workshops, and the Manito Ahbee Festival. After two months of course learning, students present a project that either sums up their learning, or focuses on a particular issue. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Community-based Aboriginal Teacher Education Program. Indigenous educational assistants can complete the requirements of an Integrated BA/BEd while continuing to work full-time in a partner school division. MOU’s continue to be signed with Manitoba School Divisions to increase opportuntiies for learners. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Cultures of the Past - Miyeu Pimaatshiwin, Beading, and Métis Kitchen Table Talk is an honours/grad course grounded in Métis knowledges, centred on beading, visiting, and identifying strategies for how to live a good life and provide care for others. "I am Métis and was raised with strong cultural signifiers, including learning to bead from my auntie sitting around my mom's kitchen table in my early 20s," said Associate Professor Cathy Mattes. "This course is grounded in those opportunities afforded to me before my career in academia, and in many respects, is an honouring of my kin." (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Developmental Studies Indigenous Cohort. In fall 2020, UWinnipeg welcomed Early Childhood Educators from across Manitoba, including Lac Brochet, Rousseau River, Behrens River, Cross Lake, Norway House, and Peguis for its first Development Studies Indigenous cohort. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Indigenizing Chemistry.  This initative aims to open doors to welcome more Indigenous-based chemistry scholars and students to UWinnipeg. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Indigenization of ToyBox Project. The ToyBox Project which includes University of Winnipeg Education faculty (Skwarchuk, Reimer, Vizina, Kerr and Hellsten) and Education/Developmental Studies students (among other partners, community members and faculty from other institutions) are working to embrace Indigenous Ways of Knowing in the work.  This summer they met with Indigenous community members and are updating the knowledge ideas and the resource catalogue to support Indigenization and accessibility of literacy, numeracy, and wellness resources for vulnerable populations. Participants in the project received ToyBox t-shirts in orange, in commemoration of the deaths and hardships incurred due to residential schools. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii, 12) 

Indigenous Course Requirement. The University of Winnipeg's Indigenous Course Requirement was a student-led initiative that ensures all incoming undergraduate students are exposed to Indigenous perspectives and worldviews. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Indigenous language programming. The University of Winnipeg is committed to developing culturally appropriate curricula, including Cree and Ojibwe courses and a new BA in Indigenous Langauge. Learn more about initiatives related to language and culture. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iv) 

Indigenous Summer Scholars. This program strengthens the pathways for Indigenous students to move into advanced study and, ultimately, into leadership in the academy and in all sectors of society. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Learning reconciliation beyond the classroom. MAIG students participated in the Pathways to Reconciliation field course, which included camping with the Midewiwin people, collecting stories, and attending a national conference at UWinnipeg. (Calls 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Manitoba Indigenous Education Blueprint. UWinnipeg signed the Manitoba Indigenous Education Blueprint in 2015 and has been participating on a working group to implement the recommendations, which align with the TRC Calls to Action. UWinnipeg is collaborating to develop the next phase of the Blueprint.

Pathway to Graduate Studies. Takes place each summer to provide research opportunities and mentorship for Indigenous students in STEM. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii) 

Reconciliation in action. Indigenous and non-indigenous students learn together in a small, diverse, safe, and interactive learning environment through the programs offered by the Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies, which is intentionally located on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End. (Calls 7, 10.ii, 10.iii)