Meaningful steps towards reconciliation were taken when Northern Lights College (NLC) signed their first-ever Indigenous Education Protocols alongside local Indigenous leaders and dignitaries.
The protocols were signed at the second annual Reawakening Our Language Gathering on Friday, April 25 at the Pomeroy Sports Centre in Fort St John.
With these protocols, NLC promised to work towards a more decolonized approach to education. They also committed to even greater collaboration with local Indigenous communities.
The document lists the following protocols for NLC:
1. Commit to making Indigenous education a priority, including providing relevant curriculum for Indigenous learners.
2. Ensure governance structures recognize and respect Indigenous peoples.
3. Build relationships and be accountable to Indigenous communities in support of self determination through education, training and applied research.
4. Support students and employees to increase understanding and reciprocity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous cultural awareness and competency training for NLC employees.
5. Integrate Indigenous ways of knowing and being along with Indigenous worldviews, beginning with a place-based approach, into relevant curriculum and learning approaches, accessible to all learners and communities.
6. Implement meaningful measures to increase the number of Indigenous employees with ongoing appointments, throughout the institution, including senior administrators.
7. Continue to honour and support Indigenous-centered holistic services and learning environments for learner success.
8. Respect and honour the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: 94 calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
On site to sign the protocols were Doig River First Nation Chief Trevor Makadahay, West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Wilson, Métis Nation of BC Director of Region 7 Paulette Flammond, Blueberry River First Nation Councillor Shelly Gauthier, and Halfway River First Nation Councillor Joyce Audit.
From NLC were President and CEO Todd Bondaroff, Director of Indigenous Education Michael Calvert, NLC’s Council for Innovation in Indigenous Education (CIIE) Co-Chair Misty Waldorf, as well as NLC’s Board of Governors Chair Lori Archibald.
Calvert, who helped launch the initiative, felt honoured to have it realized.
“NLC is incredibly grateful to have the communities we serve come to witness the signing of NLC’s Indigenous Education Protocols. It was a historic moment for Northern Lights College.”
He was inspired to bring this back to NLC after witnessing Northwest Polytechnic renew their protocols last year. They had adapted the protocols created by Colleges and Institutes Canada to better serve the needs of the Grande Prairie area and local communities.
Calvert got to work creating protocols specifically for NLC and the surrounding communities.
The protocols were passed unanimously both by NLC’s Senior Executive and then by NLC’s Indigenous advisory committee, the CIIE. Invites to sign the protocols were sent off to local Indigenous communities.
With five local First Nations present to attend the signing at the Language Gathering, Calvert is working to bring it to the three that were unable to attend.
“While not all the Nations in our area could attend the Language Gathering, we will endeavour to bring these protocols forward to all of our community partners to witness.”
For the latest news from our Indigenous Education department and to see more photos from the Reawakening Our Language Event, visit our Indigenous Education Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nrnlightsindigenous
