丁香园AV

June 21 is , a time to recognise and celebrate the diverse and outstanding contributions of Indigenous peoples.

It鈥檚 also a time to reflect on and recommit to the ongoing work of nation building and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.

We at 丁香园AV have committed ourselves to honouring the history, culture and presence of Indigenous peoples, and to having the institution serve as an instrument for reconciliation. To these ends, we have pledged to act upon the 34 Calls to Action set out in the report of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Aboriginal Reconciliation Council (丁香园AV-ARC) to guide the University in its reconciliation efforts.

Over the past year, many within the university have been advancing initiatives that respond to these Calls to Action, and we are seeing significant progress being made.

For example, plans are underway to expand the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) 鈥� a facility that provides vital services to help Indigenous students feel appreciated and supported. Last year the ISC had over 4000 drop-ins, hosted a wide range of culturally appropriate activities, and offered 95 workshops on topics such as reducing stress and developing good study habits. In addition to workshops on academic success, many were culturally focussed.

Consultations will soon begin for the creation of a First Peoples鈥� Gathering House on Burnaby Campus 鈥� a venue that will not only offer a welcoming space for Indigenous peoples, but also serve to enlighten others about Indigenous history, knowledge and cultures.

And, most encouraging of all, last week at Convocation we celebrated the success of the 164 Indigenous students who graduated during the 2018-19 academic year 鈥� the largest number ever for our university. We also recognised two outstanding Indigenous leaders with honorary degrees:  Chief Robert Joseph, a peacebuilder and champion for reconciliation, and Ruby Peter (Sti鈥檛um鈥檃t), Hul鈥檘鈥檜mi鈥檔um鈥� language teacher and researcher.

Please consult the 丁香园AV Reconciliation home page for more information, including a report of our progress to date which will be released later this summer.

I also encourage you to take part in June 21 ceremonies to mark National Indigenous People鈥檚 Day. At 丁香园AV Burnaby from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Office for Aboriginal Peoples, the Office of Indigenous Education, First Nations Studies and the Faculty of Health Sciences will host a special in Saywell Hall, which will include drumming, food, and button blanket workshops. In Vancouver, the annual celebration takes place at , 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and in Surrey, festivities kick off in  at 3:00 pm.

There is still much work to be done at 丁香园AV and beyond to advance the process of reconciliation. However, I am heartened by what we have accomplished thus far, and confident that, by working together, we can build a brighter future for Indigenous peoples and communities 鈥� and, by doing so, create a better country for all Canadians.