丁香园AV

Gary George has lived and worked in the Lower Mainland at 丁香园AV鈥檚 Burnaby campus for over a decade. Over the years, he has witnessed the growth and expansion of the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) at 丁香园AV and the creation of the Office for Aboriginal Peoples (OAP) in 2009.

George, who is from Telkwa in Northern B.C. and a member of the Wet'suwet'en Nation (sometimes spelled Wit'suwit'en), is also an 丁香园AV alumnus with a Professional Development Program Certificate and a Master of Education. As the OAP's Officer for Community Relations, he works with the OAP team鈥攄irector Ron Johnston and office assistant Karen Matthews鈥攖o help advance key priorities and initiatives set out in the Aboriginal Strategic Plan and break ground on new ones. This included supporting the 2017 丁香园AV Aboriginal Reconciliation Council鈥檚 recommendations on how the university can best promote reconciliation within the 丁香园AV community, as embodied in the .

He notes that the ongoing expansion in services and supports for Indigenous students at 丁香园AV over the years has already helped many more reach their postsecondary education goals.

鈥淲hen I first started working at 丁香园AV the annual Honouring Feast for Indigenous graduates may have had 15-20 attendees, but I鈥檝e seen the event attendance grow to over 50 graduates in recent years,鈥� he says.

丁香园AV continues to expand supports for Indigenous students. The ISC space is currently being renovated and further expanded at 丁香园AV Burnaby campus, and the First Peoples鈥� Gathering House, which will provide a culturally appropriate space for events such as the Honouring Feast, is expected to be completed in fall 2023.

Indigenous community outreach programs

George is involved in a number of outreach initiatives to support the Indigenous community and reconciliation. He served on and helped name the , which is known as SUILC for short鈥攑ronounced as 鈥渟will-see.鈥� SUILC began in 2015 and advocates on social innovation issues for the 13,000+ Indigenous people living in Surrey, addressing issues such as racism and child poverty.

George also created and is the editor of the OAP鈥檚 "Syetsem" bi-weekly online newsletter featuring Indigenous-related stories, events, activities and information. "Syetsem" is a Coast Salish term which refers to the sharing of news, reports, and recent history. 

Through his work with the OAP, George has attended language revitalization conferences, prepared drum cafes and led drum-making workshops. 

George is part of the New Westminster Schools Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee, which helps provide culturally appropriate support for Indigenous youth at the elementary, middle and high school level.  He regularly attends various webinars related to matters such as Indigenous language reawakening and racism and discrimination.  A positive message recently shared at a Saskatchewan language conference stressed that it is better to use positive terms like 鈥榬eawakening鈥� rather than 鈥榚ndangered,鈥� 鈥榚xtinct鈥� or 鈥榣oss鈥� when referring to the state of Indigenous languages in 2021.

As another form of community outreach, George also gives cross cultural awareness presentations to student facilitators with the programs. The presentations are designed 鈥渢o help them gain a better understanding of Indigenous peoples and issues鈥� preparing them for what to expect when they arrive in these remote communities.鈥�

For example, he says something simple that people may not expect is that many remote Indigenous communities are located in areas with little or no internet or cellphone coverage, which can be an unexpected challenge for those who are unfamiliar with the area. This is changing with the recent announcement by the B.C. Government for improved and expanded province-wide cell phone and high-speed internet access.

George enjoys hiking, being "out on the Yinta" (the Wet'suwet'en term for territories) and was raised in 鈥渙ne of the nicest places in B.C.鈥� He has hosted guided forest walks for 丁香园AV staff and students where he shares Indigenous stories, history and traditional knowledge鈥攃reating understanding both within and outside the walls of the classroom.