Georgian College

WHAT GUIDED US HERE? Indigenous-focused education and support services have been in place at Georgian since 1995. From humble beginnings, the range of academic programs and services for students with Indigenous ancestry has grown to include staffed Wiidookdaading Indigenous Resource Centres at four campuses, four academic programs, and robust outreach into communities across the college. Numerous knowledge-sharing activities take place every year, benefiting all members of the Georgian community. The scope of Indigenization work has grown immensely over the last 30 years; through our current strategic plan, Georgian commits to continuing to deepen and enhance this work across the whole college. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) released its Final Report outlining the history and legacy of the residential school system. The TRC's findings and 94 Calls to Action, together with the recent rediscoveries of unmarked burial sites at former residential schools, have resulted in a significant increase in postsecondary institutional focus to advance Truth and Reconciliation. Creating spaces and opportunities to ensure Indigenous students are supported throughout their academic journey, see their culture and individuality manifested in multiple facets of the college experience, and are empowered to fully share their voices and gifts, are goals that we at Georgian strive to achieve. The Indigenous Education Protocol (IEP) for Colleges and Institutes, developed by Colleges and Institutes Canada, was created to provide a roadmap and commitment for the postsecondary sector to set goals that address the needs of learners and support the self-determination of Indigenous communities. In 2015, Georgian became a signatory to the IEP and, in the years since the signing, we've seen a number of new initiatives and developments contributing to the growth of Indigenization at the college. However, there's much more work to be done. The most effective way to deepen and expand Indigenization is to revisit previous work related to Indigenization at the college, learn from our successes and challenges, engage with key stakeholders internally and externally, and move forward collaboratively as a college community to implement the Indigenization Strategy: Maajiishkaadaa/Let's Move Forward Together. This new strategy will guide the Georgian community in the collective work of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. The Maajiishkaadaa plan acknowledges the distinct nature of decolonization and reconciliation as experienced by the First Peoples of Turtle Island from equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B). A collaborative approach with EDI&B activities at the college will recognize this distinction while also looking for areas of interconnection. INDIGENIZATION STRATEGY | LET'S MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER GeorgianCollege.ca 5

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