Yukon College signs CICan’s Indigenous Education Protocol

Whitehorse, Yukon – At a ceremony in Ottawa today, Yukon College was one of the first Colleges in Canada to sign an historic Indigenous Education Protocol presented by Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan). This aspirational document reaffirms the colleges’ commitment to Indigenous education and provides a vision of how it will strive to improve and better serve Indigenous peoples.

Co-Chair of Yukon College’s President’s Advisory Council on First Nations Initiatives and Gwitchin elder Annie Bernard, is in Ottawa along with Yukon College president Dr. Karen Barnes, and the College’s Director of First Nations Initiatives Tosh Southwick, to sign the protocol and bring it back to Yukon.

The Protocol was developed in the past two years under the leadership of the CICan Indigenous Education Committee based on consultations with CICan members. The Indigenous Education Committee is chaired by Ken Tourand, President, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, and co-chaired by Dr. Karen Barnes.

“At Yukon College we are proud of our collaborative relationship with Yukon’s fourteen First Nations,” said Dr. Karen Barnes, Yukon College president. “We look forward to sharing our best-practices with other colleges and institutes across Canada, as well as taking inspiration from this protocol to further grow and strengthen the ways in which we support Yukon First Nations students and communities.”

The Indigenous Education Protocol contains seven principles including: making indigenous education a priority; supporting students and employees to increase understanding and reciprocity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples; increasing the number of Indigenous employees; and building relationships and being accountable to Indigenous communities in support of self-determination through education, training and applied research.

“As key providers of applied postsecondary education for Indigenous communities, colleges and institutes recognize that they have important responsibilities and obligations to Indigenous education,” says Denise Amyot, President and CEO of CICan. “This protocol will encourage our members to be even more inclusive of Indigenous cultures and even more proactive in eliminating the barriers to education that many Indigenous learners still face.”

Effective today, CICan members representing 137 colleges, institutes, polytechnics and cegeps from across Canada are invited to sign on to the protocol and adopt its seven principles. The protocol underscores the importance of structures and approaches required to address Indigenous peoples’ learning needs and support self-determination and socio-economic development of Indigenous communities.

For more inofrmation on the development, context, of the protocol, and to see what Colleges across Canada are doing in support of the Protocol please visit: www.collegesinstitutes.ca/the-issues/indigenous-learners/approaches-and-exemplary-practices-to-guide-implementation/

About CICan:
Colleges and Institutes Canada is the national and international voice of Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes and polytechnics. Working with industry and social sectors to train 1.5 million learners of all ages and backgrounds at campuses serving over 3,000 urban, rural and remote communities in Canada. The association operates in 29 countries via 13 offices around the world.

Indigenous Education Protocol for Colleges and Institutes

The signatory institutions to this protocol recognize and affirm their responsibility and obligation to Indigenous education. Colleges and institutes respect and recognize that Indigenous people include First Nation, Métis and Inuit people, having distinct cultures, languages, histories and contemporary perspectives. Indigenous education emanates from the intellectual and cultural traditions of  Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indigenous education will strengthen colleges’ and institutes’ contribution to improving the lives of learners and communities.

The signatory institution agrees to:

1. Commit to making Indigenous education a priority.
2. Ensure governance structures recognize and respect Indigenous peoples.
3. Implement intellectual and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples through curriculum and learning approaches relevant to learners and communities.
4. Support students and employees to increase understanding and reciprocity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
5. Commit to increasing the number of Indigenous employees with ongoing appointments, throughout the institution, including Indigenous senior administrators.
6. Establish Indigenous-centred holistic services and learning environments for learner success.
7. Build relationships and be accountable to Indigenous communities in support of self-determination through education, training and applied research.

Signatories endorse the intent of these principles and are committed to developing policies,
procedures and practices within their institutions.