Creating Community

Stepping through the doors of university for the first time is a daunting experience.

Trying to create community in a new environment, with new faces, while navigating post-secondary education is difficult for any young adult. Indigenous students, some of whom come from rural or remote communities, face additional challenges such as struggling to find fellow Indigenous peers, feeling misrepresented through coursework, being misunderstood in class and disconnection from their non-Indigenous classmates. Despite these barriers, more Indigenous youth are deciding to pursue post-secondary education. 

A new multi-series program, Intergenerational Wellness (IW), was developed by Indigenous students attending the University of British Columbia (UBC) who experienced the power of education first-hand. The first of its kind at UBC, IW is fully run, funded and organized by students. With a focus on sharing traditional knowledge with Indigenous students, teaching about social structures, politics, current environmental issues and sacred ceremonies, IW is advancing reconciliation within the university institution. 

Supported by funding from The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF), 50 students selected for this program will take part in seven culturally embedded events with discussions at multiple touchpoints. Each event will be hosted by Indigenous leaders, healers and ceremonialists from across Turtle Island and South America, who will share their specific cultural knowledge. Guests will impart teachings through stories, songs, dances, spiritual ceremonies, feasts and protocols. The program engages students in active decolonization and healing work, grounding them in their culture and fostering a deeper understanding of self and well-being. It also provides non-Indigenous students with a rare opportunity to connect with Indigenous teachings and ceremonies in an authentic way.

The Intergenerational Wellness program hopes to inspire future Indigenous leaders and change-makers to create progressive, transformative change and break the cycle of intergenerational trauma.

Archdiocese of Vancouver