Indigenizing Dawson College: Resume and Outlook

Presenter: Michelle Smith, Journeys Coordinator, Dawson College

Wolfgang Krotter, Assistant Dean of Creative and Applied Arts, Dawson CollegeCOLLOQUE SUR LA PERSÉVÉRANCE ET LA RÉUSSITE SCOLAIRES CHEZ LES PREMIERS PEUPLES

4e édition | 16 au 18 octobre 2019 au Palais des congrès de Montréal

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Dawson College: Who We Are

• Largest Anglophone CEGEP in Quebec• Founded in 1968• 8,000 DEC students• 2,000 in Continuing Education• 5 Pre-University Programs• 21 Career / Technical Programs

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• Downtown Montreal• Proximity of Reservations

• Kahnawake: 48 km²; population: 9,000; 16 km from college• Kanesatake: 12 km²; population: 1,400; 60 km from college

Dawson College: Location

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• Cabot Square (Informal gathering place of urban Indigenous population)

• Nunavik Sivanutsivut (Offering college level courses with specific content in cooperation with John Abbott College)

• Avataq (Inuit cultural organization of Nunavik)

• Native Montreal (Member of the aboriginal friendship center movement)

Dawson College: Location• Cree School Board (Post Secondary

Student Services)

Indigenizing Dawson: 4 Strategic Steps

1. Dawson Visioning Session (2014)2. First Peoples Initiative (2014-present)3. Indigenous Education Roundtable (January 2019)4. Three-year Strategic Plan (May 2019)

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1. Strategic Step: Visioning Session (2014)

• Lack of awareness of Indigenous culture, customs and present day issues

• Lack of dedicated psycho-social and academic student support, dedicated student space

• Lack of Indigenous faculty, staff, programs

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2. Strategic Step: First Peoples’ Initiative (2015)

• Certificate development; grant applications; faculty training; First Peoples Center; establishing the Indigenous Education Council

• Indigenous Education Council (Advisory Committee):Kahnawa ̀:ke Survival SchoolCree School Board’s Post-Secondary Student ServicesKativik School BoardFirst Nations Regional Adult Education CentreMcGill University’s First Peoples HouseConcordia’s Aboriginal Student Resource CentreKahnawake Education Centre

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3. Strategic Step: Indigenous Education Roundtable (January 2019)

• Develop a strategy to sensitize Dawson College Management, Senate, Board of Governors, Professionals and Support Staff to Indigenous world views and realities

• Recommendations: Foundations of three year strategic plan

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4. Strategic Step: Three Year Strategic Plan (Draft, May 2019)

• Representation at all college levels of administration• Improve student spaces and Indigenous visibility • Indigenous Admissions Protocol / Languages• Bring college community on board: Sensitize, inform, innovate• Grow Journeys Program and enhance Indigenous students

support • Collaborate and coordinate efforts with colleges on the island of

Montreal• Lobby the government for funding reform

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Feedback and Questions

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