4.1 Sustainability for local Indigenous Community Education across the curriculum

Sherry   Fukuzawa, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Elder Carolyn King, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Elder Garry Sault, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Elder Margaret Sault, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Councillor Veronica King-Jamieson, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Jordan Jamieson, Field Liaison, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Nicole Laliberte, Associate Professor Teaching Stream, Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga

This roundtable will focus on relationship building in support of educational initiatives of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) as territorial host of all UofT campuses. Indigenous Action Group (IAG) representatives, a collective of MCFN Elders, Knowledge Holders, artisans, and community members with UTM setter faculty, and Indigenous staff, will demonstrate the importance of local Indigenous community-engaged learning (CEL) course design to create safe accessible spaces for community members by honoring the place-centered history, stories, culture, ecology, and ways of knowing unique to each First Nation (Fukuzawa et al., 2020; King et al., in press).

This session will present a proposal by the IAG for a Community-engaged Learning (CEL) HUB educational model to expand a CEL course implemented by a local Indigenous community across disciplines. This model addresses sustainability and funding challenges by integrating in-person sessions with video material so Elders may prioritize their commitment to their community. Video materials adhere to OCAP principles under First Nations Information Governance Center to ensure local Indigenous communities receive appropriate honorariums and control over course materials. The HUB template allows disciplines to include subject specific materials with public gatherings. The session will open a dialogue with UofT instructors across three campuses to discuss ongoing and potential partnerships and projects with local Indigenous curricula. This discussion will include successes and challenges for sustainable relationships based on equity, respect and responsibility. The session will conclude with a plan to form a collective across the three campuses to work on local Indigenous pedagogy.