丁香园AV

The Ni'isjoohl Rematriation Documentary Trailer

The Raising Nisga鈥檃 Language Cultural Sovereignty and Land-Based Education with Traditional Carving Knowledge is an award-winning project stemming from a New Frontiers in Research Exploration (NFRE) grant, being conducted in partnership with political and hereditary leadership in the Nisga鈥檃 Nation. In 2022, Principal Investigator Dr. Amy Parent, Noxs Ts鈥檃awit, began producing a feature-length professional documentary film to bring forward the incredible journey of the Ni鈥檌sjoohl memorial pole鈥檚 rematriation from the National Museums of Scotland to the Nisga鈥檃 Nation. The 丁香园AV Community Engagement grant will assist with the development of a trailer for the documentary, which is integral for two reasons. First, a finalized film trailer will be used to promote the need for a full-length documentary to acquire post-production funding for the entire film. Second, the trailer and full-length film will capture a pivotal historical moment for the Nisga鈥檃 Nation, serving cultural, educational, and family purposes. In doing so, the film also aims to be an exemplar for Indigenous Nations seeking the return of their stolen belongings from European museums while challenging museums to develop decolonizing policies and practices.

Partners: Lax'galts'ap Village Government; Nisga'a Lisims Government; the project has also involved extensive transdisciplinary relationships and cross-sectoral partnerships with local, national and international governments, organizations, Nisga鈥檃 hereditary leadership and Canadian citizens

The River Knows What It Needs: Our Responsibility to the Fraser

Dr. Cher Hill

This project aims to develop knowledge mobilization tools to disseminate traditional and interdisciplinary knowledge about the Fraser River within schools and other community groups, strengthening existing relationships with Indigenous collaborators and creating new community partnerships. In September 2024, we will host a VPA-funded symposium including Indigenous Knowledge Holders and Land Guardians, environmentalists, and 丁香园AV faculty members holding diverse knowledge about the Fraser and river systems. The primary goal of the event is to bring together experts with distinct knowledge about the threats to the Fraser River ecosystem, develop an informed vision of how to care for the river, and collectively imagine alternative futures for the Fraser. The proposed project will mobilize this emerging knowledge. Based on our work to support community members in caring for salmon like Family (Hill, et al., 2019; Hill, et al., 2023), we know that many people care deeply about environmental issues and want to help, but often lack awareness of current challenges and potential solutions. Consequently, broad knowledge mobilization is key to catalyzing transformative change (Skipper & Pepler, 2021). The goal of the proposed project is to disseminate the transdisciplinary knowledge resulting from the symposium through multiple mediums. Following the symposium, we will develop resources, including an interactive website and augmented reality resources with k-12 curricular connections, to continue to disseminate the findings of the symposium within the broader community.

Partners: Councillor of First Nations Title and Rights, Fish and Wildlife, Treaties, and Justice, q虛铆c虛蓹y虛 (Katzie) First Natio

Community Mentorship for Empowering Black Youth in Metro Vancouver

Dr. Engida Gebre

The project focuses on progressive mentorship and intergenerational community interaction involving black secondary school students in BC, college students in Canadian universities/colleges, and Black professionals. We explore a mentorship program where a) secondary school students share their experiences and challenges of navigating their education in BC schools, b) college students share their experiences and challenges, and c) professionals discuss their experiences as well as possibilities by way of addressing the challenges of the youth. The goal is to make the mentorship progressive in the sense that each group of students discusses issues first within their category and then discuss with mentors. We鈥檒l arrange the process in a way that college students serve both as mentors for secondary school students and mentees with professionals. In addition to the formal mentorship arrangement (outlined in item 11 below) we鈥檒l also organize intergenerational events and interaction involving students, professionals, and parents. Such programs will bring black community together to discuss community-relevant issues including supporting young children in their education and personal development. This also serves as a way of addressing feelings of not knowing and isolation in the black community, especially with new immigrants.

Partners: Hebret Cultural School Societ

Tla鈥檃min Mathematics

Dr. Nathalie Sinclair

Through prior collaboration between 丁香园AV (Department of Mathematics) and a Tla鈥檃min Nation Elder, a set of learning materials were developed to showcase the scientific knowledge in Tla鈥檃min cultural practices. These materials focus on fish traps engineering, fish harvesting modelling, the patterns of baskets, and canoe design. The goal of this project is to transform these resources into classroom-ready mathematics lessons that can be used in secondary schools across the province, for both Indigenous and settler students. This would contribute to addressing the BC curricular demand of indigenizing the mathematics curriculum, which has been challenging at the secondary school level. This work has already begun, through the involvement of the Faculty of Education at 丁香园AV. However, in order to be done well, we need both greater articulation with Tla鈥檃min cultural knowledge and testing of the lessons in schools to see whether they meet the goals of teaching students both Tla鈥檃min scientific knowledge and Western mathematics. The proposed project thus involves two main activities. The first is to work with members of the Tla鈥檃min Nation to further develop aspects of Tla鈥檃min knowledge, including the incorporation of Tla鈥檃min language. The second would be to testing and refining of through design-based research.

Partners: Tla鈥檃min Nation Elder; Tla鈥檃min Nation Government; qathet School District (SD47)

Finding Your Voice against Racism with Youth

Dr. 脰zlem Sensoy

The (鈥淐CEJ鈥�) and the Youth Alliance for Intersectional Justice (鈥淵AIJ鈥�) work collaboratively on matters impacting youth and justice in schooling. We have brought together a coalition of youths, their supporting teachers, nonprofit community partners, and university-based education researchers (collectively, our 鈥淐ommunity Partners鈥�). As Community Partners, we converge on our desire to make schools more just environments for all students, especially those who are Indigenous, Black, and belong to other communities of Colour, and hold additional intersectional minoritized identities. 鈥淔inding Your Voice鈥� will be a one-day youth symposium that brings together twenty racialized youth who are impacted by systemic racism and currently members of social justice clubs in secondary schools throughout the Lower Mainland. The symposium will connect youth with mentor facilitators to develop 鈥渧oice鈥� when speaking on matters of justice. Speaking out against injustice requires one knows what to say, but also how and when to use one's voice to advance justice. Our goal is to support youth by facilitating their access and benefit from YAIJ and other community resources, while advancing the Ministry of Education and Child Care鈥檚 goals to address anti-racism as per their (2023) Anti-Racism Action Plan.

Partners: Youth Alliance for Intersectional Justice (YAIJ), Vancouver, British Columbia; Social and racial justice clubs at partner secondary schools in Lower Mainland

Woven Futures: Empowering Diverse Students at New Westminster Secondary School to Envision and Map Their Future Paths

Dr. Robert Williamson

Woven Futures empowers diverse students with complex needs from New Westminster Secondary School to envision their futures and create roadmaps to achieve them. Based on a trauma-informed, artistic, and inclusive 鈥淒reams Mapping鈥� facilitation approach, students create a series of personal visions. Then, students create artistic road maps portraying actions required to achieve it. Next, youth unite to combine their individual dreams into a collective wall mural sharing their collective vision with the community. Visions come alive through student art (a universal language), but the partnerships of this project provide the specific support and expertise for students to achieve them. MOSAIC鈥檚 on campus (NWSS) Program provides support related to resettlement complexities and expertise connecting students to community resources. New Westminster High School provides extensive expertise within the arts and connects school to visions of adult futures. 丁香园AV Faculty and students provide the research based 鈥楧reams Mapping鈥� approach. This inclusive facilitation technique is highly applicable to supporting complex students from multiple linguistic, cultural, and ability backgrounds. Como Hombre (associated with Vancouver Mural Festival) provides critical expertise to support students in creating the futures mural, where students will understand that they are not alone in pursuit of their dreams.

Partners: MOSAIC, New Westminster, BC; New Westminster School District; Carson Ting