Loyalist College is emerging as one of the country’s leading post-secondary institutions in truth and reconciliation.
Jennifer Tewathahá:kwa Maracle, the college’s Executive Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation, made a deputation to Belleville City Council Monday where she noted their four seasons of reconciliation education models for staff have been very successful.
The online and interactive education modules were developed with the First Nations University of Canada.
“It was designed to provide comprehensive understanding of Indigenous history, culture and contemporary issues.”
Almost 600 staff members have already completed the education modules.
Staff have also participated in sharing circles.
“I think it was really important for that process to happen, those sharing circles. Because, because of what they learned in the education modules, really brought out a lot of big emotions that they needed to work through and so the sharing circles provided that opportunity.”
Faculty have also participated in workshops aimed at decolonizing and indigenizing curriculums.
Maracle says this model has set their program apart from other post secondary institutions.
“All too often, and through no fault of their own, and they do excellent work, the Indigenous Centres tend to focus inward on the students. We recognize that by educating the greater community of Loyalist College, we are able then to support, as a larger group, our students.”
But Maracle says the work is not done.
Maracle adds their work has generated interest outside the college with industry partners and other agencies interested in participating in Loyalist’s education modules.
She says they would like to offer the education modules to city staff as a trial run before taking the program to a wider audience.
