間眅埶AV

People of 間眅埶AV: Meet Gary George, Officer for Community Relations, Office for Aboriginal Peoples

October 08, 2021

Gary George has lived and worked in the Lower Mainland at 間眅埶AVs Burnaby campus for over a decade. Over the years, he has witnessed the growth and expansion of the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) at 間眅埶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 間眅埶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 teamdirector Ron Johnston and office assistant Karen Matthewsto help advance key priorities and initiatives set out in the Aboriginal Strategic Plan and break ground on new ones. This included supporting the 2017 間眅埶AV Aboriginal Reconciliation Councils recommendations on how the university can best promote reconciliation within the 間眅埶AV community, as embodied in the .

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

When I first started working at 間眅埶AV the annual Honouring Feast for Indigenous graduates may have had 15-20 attendees, but Ive seen the event attendance grow to over 50 graduates in recent years, he says.

間眅埶AV continues to expand supports for Indigenous students. The ISC space is currently being renovated and further expanded at 間眅埶AV Burnaby campus, and the First Peoples 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 shortpronounced as swill-see. 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 OAPs "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 reawakening rather than endangered, extinct or loss 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 to help them gain a better understanding of Indigenous peoples and issues preparing them for what to expect when they arrive in these remote communities.

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 one of the nicest places in B.C. He has hosted guided forest walks for 間眅埶AV staff and students where he shares Indigenous stories, history and traditional knowledgecreating understanding both within and outside the walls of the classroom.

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