Solutions*

*The term 'solutions' is used to here to:

Address any confusion around these being additional action items or things that NIC is expected to follow through on and instead express that these are the solutions that emerged through the symposium in response to the existing challenges to becoming an Indigenous serving institute.
To honour and align with the Na̱nwaḵola methodology of ‘wise people coming together to seek solutions’.

“To Indigenize North Island College is to humanize it” (Symposium participant, personal communications, 2022). Throughout the entirety of the symposium, a frequently visited topic was how many Indigenous students “fall through the cracks” of higher education due to lack of support or understanding, along with the rigid structures in place that do not allow for faculty or staff to support students even if they wanted to (for example, if a student experiences a loss in their community and need to take time away from school, they are unable to make up any missed labs in a STEM course because of the lab scheduling set well in advance of the semester. This may lead to the failure of a course or program, which often leads to a lack of motivation to continue on with education). It was noted that this is not only a challenge for Indigenous students, but also international students and domestic students as well. A frequently discussed topic was how Indigenization serves to benefit the entire college community, not only Indigenous staff, students and faculty. As such, all solutions related to the Indigenization of North Island College work collaboratively in tandem with one another in an effort to progress the humanization of the College. It is important to note that the below solutions are a direct reflection of what the symposium participants articulated through conversation. On page 24 of the Working Together Plan, it states:

"We ask you to consider this guide as the foundation for ongoing conversations and consultation that will change circumstances and provide new opportunities for building relationships rooted in respect, responsibility, and reciprocity."

The below listed solutions are the direct result of ongoing conversations and consultation that was born of the Working Together Indigenization Plan. They are not intended to be seen as additional goals or objectives, but instead as data gathered to guide and shape possible future directions as the Indigenization Plan is enacted. The solutions are each linked with elements of the Indigenization Plan, and this data confirms that one year into the implementation of the Indigenization Plan, the objectives and goals are still supported and desired.

Solutions

1. The Implementation of the 'Working Together Working Group'

To drive forward the Working Together Indigenization Plan, there needs to be a ‘boots on the ground’ approach. Indigenous staff, faculty, and knowledge keepers are stretched incredibly thin and have limited capacity, and as such, there must be an exploration of solutions that can act as a centralization of efforts for all involved in this work. Currently, staff within the office of Indigenous education who identify as Indigenous, each sit on an array of committees and are individually asked to “represent a pan-Indigenous perspective” for these committees. Further, anyone seeking to progress “Indigenization” through individual efforts (such as faculty looking to bring an Indigenous perspective into their courses) has limited resources to whom they can turn, for support. It was discussed how problematic this is because often they can only turn to one or two individuals because:

One person can only represent their perspective as one individual. As such, they cannot be expected to act as a pan-Indigenous voice for the 35 nations that NIC seeks to serve.
There is so much to do towards the Indigenization of NIC, and it is marvelous to have so many individuals eager to step into this work. However, there is simply not the capacity to support these individuals or departments through their Indigenization efforts on top of existing workloads in the Office of Indigenous Education. To expect such is a recipe for burnout, which would result in fewer resources on the ground for NIC to draw from.

Therefore, the solution emerged to create a “Working Together Working Group” (WTWG), and the 'Working Group' section of the website will detail precisely how to implement such a group. This working group will act as a place to grow understanding more broadly as a college. For anyone seeking guidance on how to move forward in a good way, they will be able to turn to the WTWG and bring questions or queries that can be addressed in an informal, kind and compassionate manner.

This recommendation is in alignment with the Working Together Indigenization Plan, specifically the objective to create an 'Indigenous curriculum sub-committee'.

2. The Creation of an ‘Indigenization Teaching & Learning Specialist’ Role in the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation

For NIC to support the Indigenization of current courses and programs through the development of an ‘Indigenization Teaching & Learning Specialist’ role housed within the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI). Recognizing that no one person can be a specialist in localized Indigenous approaches, the Indigenization specialist would assist with connecting faculty to relevant knowledge keepers and curriculum developers and act as a lead on organizing compensation for knowledge keepers and curriculum developers not employed by NIC. This recommendation is in alignment with the Working Together Plan, specifically the goals housed under the Teaching and Learning section of the plan.
The Indigenization specialist would also support faculty in understanding pan-Indigenous approaches (or “Indigenist” approaches, a term coined by Sean Wilson (2007) to include shared or common threads among diverse Indigenous worldviews) to pedagogy, including the exploration of alternative assessment models, such as “ungrading”, and "pedagogies of care" and incorporating more choice in assessment options. To do this, the Indigenization Specialist would put considerable effort into relationship development and trust building with staff and faculty. The individual in this role would need to be carefully selected and mentored into the position to ensure long-term success.
The Indigenization Specialist would chair the Working Together Working Group (as outlined in the Working Group Section) to ensure a collective approach is being taken to Indigenizing teaching and learning at North Island College. This responsibility would be outlined in the job description to ensure that ample time was available to lead this group. The individual in this role would require the capacity to not only chair the WTWG, but to take on the mental and emotional energy required to be at the leading edge of systems change. In other words, this role has been designed with the recognition that the Indigenization Specialist would require the capacity necessary to lead and persevere through organizational change in a sustainable manner.
To do so, the Indigenization Specialist would work closely with the Global Learning Facilitator and the Indigenous Education Facilitator to build organizational understanding on intercultural and Indigenous matters, for example exploring and understanding biases, intersectionality, and anti-racist approaches to teaching and learning. This is in alignment with the forthcoming Indigenized Internationalization Plan and the Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan; along with the BUILD Strategic Plan and the Widening Our Doorways Academic Plan.

3. Take action to create a Community of Care and Compassion Throughout NIC Institutional Structures

In alignment with the Working Together Indigenization Plan (Goal 2.3.1 in the 2022 Dashboard), for NIC to adapt existing policies with a compassionate lens, so that more flexibility is built into systems and structures (for example, flexibility on how students can showcase mastery of learning outcomes beyond written exams and completed assignments). For NIC to remove outdated and rigid approaches to all aspects of the teaching and learning experience, and create the space necessary for more contextual and individualized approaches. For each policy to prioritize the goal of ‘humanizing the college’ through a lens of care and compassion.
For NIC to develop support for staff and faculty navigating contractual systems with a wellness lens, and to learn from individual case studies as a means by which to consider new or different ways of doing things outside of traditional practices. Meaning that if a staff or faculty member must ‘go out on a limb’ or ‘manipulate the system’ to support student wellbeing, they are not working ‘against’ the College, but are in actuality supported by the college to adapt existing procedures to meet the needs of the individual. It is suggested that until a more long-term and sustainable process is put in place, the Working Together Working Group may act as an area to turn for staff and faculty struggling to navigate existing systems in order to support student wellbeing and center compassion.
It is recommended that stronger and more accessible communication streams are created and made available between academics and students supports. For faculty and student support services to work together in tandem to ensure student success through frequent communication regarding the well-being of students. For example, if a student is failing a course, faculty take the initiative to connect with whichever student service supports are available, for example, Early Assist.
For NIC to offer an integrated counselling approach that disrupts the colonial idea of one-hour, isolated counselling appointments. Instead, have trained counsellors and cultural supports strategically positioned within the institute to be ever-present for student support. For example, having counsellors available in courses or programs that have a higher likelihood of ‘triggering’ material, and have counsellors available in student lounges, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Further, to ensure that counsellors and cultural supports are available to support not only students but staff and faculty in their pursuit of centering care and compassion, not only for their students but for themselves.

4. Take Action to Create a Community of Care and Compassion Throughout NIC Individuals

For the NIC community, including faculty, staff, students and alumni to have annual or biannual opportunities to complete a localized trauma-informed workshop, as one of the first steps in fostering a community of care and compassion.
- For trauma-informed training to be a requirement for any new hires, and a requirement for all existing staff and faculty to complete (with the exception of anyone that may be retraumatized in attending trauma-informed training).
- To have the necessary supports in place for anyone who might be triggered as they move through trauma-informed training. This may include having trained counsellors on hand, and the opportunity to complete training with a friend or family member, in other words, an individual's care community.
As outlined in the Working Together Plan (Goal 4.1), for NIC to develop a core competency course that is a requirement of all students (and faculty and administrators) that encompasses localized information around whose land they reside and work on and the histories of the land and peoples, including residential schools, day schools, Indian hospitals, and more.
- The intent of this is to alleviate the need for instructors to have to weave this information into their already very-full syllabuses. Also to alleviate the concern of settler faculty speaking as “experts” on topics that should be led by Indigenous voices.
To explore and encourage different pedagogical approaches beyond that of faculty as subject matter experts, disseminating knowledge to their students in a singular direction of knowledge transfer. This is in alignment with the forthcoming Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan, along with the Widening Our Doorways Academic Plan. This includes the exploration into a pedagogy of kindness, pedagogies of care and compassion, horizontal pedagogies (each individual learning with and from one another), and more. For the Centre of Teaching and Learning Innovation to work in collaboration with the Office of Indigenous Education and the Office of Global Engagement to support individuals across the college (both staff and faculty) to broaden and expand their approaches to education (and educational systems) beyond that of traditional practices; for example,
- For faculty to embody the identity of ‘facilitator’ along with ‘professor’, to allow for more space in courses and programs to integrate Indigenous worldviews. A common fear of faculty entering into the work of ‘Indigenizing’ their courses, is that if they are not Indigenous, they cannot speak on behalf of Indigenous perspectives or pedagogies. With the shift to ‘facilitator’, faculty may be able to recognize that their role is not to ‘teach’ Indigenous worldviews or knowledge systems, but instead to facilitate the student experience so that students have equal exposure to Indigenous voices and perspectives.
In connection with a compassionate approach to teaching and learning, it is integral that faculty identify beyond subject matter experts in their related field(s) and also recognize themselves as integral and vital support resources for the wellbeing of their students. As such, faculty require the training and support necessary to embody a holistic approach to teaching and learning, addressing the mental, emotional and spiritual needs of students. If this is beyond the scope or comfort of faculty, there should be the development of supportive classroom structures with trained well-being aids (such as counsellors) on hand for students to access.

5. Action towards an Indigenous-led
Education Centre

This is a “high hanging fruit” action item with much ambiguity surrounding it, as it will take slow and intentional exploration to determine how best to create such an hub that centers on serving Indigenous peoples through Indigenous led education. Through the Indigenization Think Tank Symposium, it was determined that a truly Indigenous-led approach to education simply may not work within the existing governance structures of North Island College. It just may be that what a decolonized institute looks like in the context of NIC is an institute with an Indigenous-led center that is housed within NIC but acts as a separate, but related entity. Or, possibly, for NIC to support education centers created and run by Nations or Indigenous organizations.

It will take intense foundational work and community engagement to determine how to begin to approach this solution. However the inclusion of this solution is to acknowledge that this is the direction NIC is encouraged to walk towards, as determined at the symposium. Some “pie-in-the-sky” brainstorming about what this may look like is as follows:

An Indigenous-led center is one that allows Indigenous students, staff, faculty and community members space for healing through learning and growth.
A space for students to learn about their culture, their languages, who they are and how they can return to traditional practices without the expectation of entering into a colonial career or industry.
A space where learning takes place on the land, where different generations are able to learn alongside and from one another.
A space where learning is embodied through action, and the concept of ‘failure’ or ‘dropping out’ is erased and replaced with a learning continuum model.
A space where courses are not compartmentalized into specific subjects, but subjects are interwoven with one another and instructors work collaboratively to design and deliver courses.
A space where students can learn information about their own culture, and other Indigenous cultures within their region (including Métis cultures along with the communities and cultures of nearby territories).

Considerations

Beyond NIC

One of the first bodies of discussion to arise in the symposium was an important one to keep in mind as one navigates through these solutions: a colonial institute interacts with and is kept in check by a colonial society. Meaning that there are only so many changes an institute can enact before societal checks and balances prohibit progression because of the associated colonial barriers. For example, institutes are beholden to provincial mandates and industry expectations. Therefore there may be identified areas in which the institute wants to ‘decolonize’, but is prohibited from doing so because this would bar the ability for the institute to interact with the exterior world (ie - articulation agreements). The response to this discussion is an area that I would like to mark for further research: how much does an institute influence the systems that it is integrated within, and vice versa? Can an institute act as an influencer of change towards broader colonial systems? The above listed solutions are presented with the acknowledgement that greater systems are at play, holding the institute in colonial ways of doing. But that does not mean that the institute should not be doing everything that it can within its power to press up against larger colonial structures.

Funding

A common place that discussion would return to is: “where can we find the money for this?” “Whose pot of funding will support this work?” “Does the institute take this work seriously if there is such limited funding behind it?” This capstone’s purpose is to put into place the wheels of action, with the trust the funding will be sought out as measures of success are outlined and met as the work progresses. I am intentionally choosing not to delve into funding-based recommendations, because this could be another capstone entirely in itself. Funding is an important conversation, and one that must occur often as the institute and community partners embark on this work.

'Off the side of the desk'

The phrase 'off the side of the desk' came up often through the symposium and interviews. It was frequently discussed how much of the work relating to decolonizing NIC often took place outside of one's formal job description and task list. Therefore it was inevitable that often there was limited time and energy for such work, and further, prioritizing such work could often lead to burnout and exhaustion. These recommendations are designed to be considered in alignment with the Working Together Indigenization Plan, which has many formalized goals and objectives that include reworking job descriptions to ensure that this work is prioritized. These solutions are made with the assumption that there will be time, space and energy available to those working towards decolonizing NIC to be able to prioritize this work without having to do it 'off the sides of their desks'.