Algonquin College launches DARE6 Initiative
Posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2020
Algonquin College’ has launched a unique corporate partnership initiative – DARE6, as it is called – with PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (PCL) as the first firm to sign on.
On Friday, some three dozen PCL senior executives and employees who’d been involved in building the College’s newest facility, the DARE District, returned to the Ottawa Campus to inaugurate DARE6, a new-style collaborative partnership Algonquin is offering to select corporate stakeholders to help further the College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
The PCL team was treated to Indigenous-themed cuisine, décor, and music during the event while PCL Vice President Kevin Skinner underscored the partnership in a cheque-offering ceremony between himself, Algonquin President Claude Brulé, and Ron (Deganadus) McLester, the College’s Vice President of Truth, Reconciliation & Indigenization. The construction firm has committed to donating $216,000 over six years – or $36,000 a year – as the first corporation to sign on to the DARE6 initiative.
“Today is a celebration of a long-standing relationship that PCL and Algonquin College have already built together,” said President Brulé, describing DARE6 as “a unique opportunity to build on a partnership that will create new paths to engagement. With PCL’s support I know we can continue together to transform the hopes and dreams of thousands of learners here at the College.”
The DARE6 concept is based on an Indigenous governance model derived from the Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, Confederacy dating back a thousand years. The Confederacy, sometimes described as one of the world’s oldest participatory democracies, included the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora. Occupying what is now upper New York state and southeastern Quebec and Ontario, these six tribes united under the Great Law of Peace. The Great Law, with its emphasis on living in peace, harmony, and respect is considered both a political constitution and a cultural description of Haudenosaunee society.
McLester, acting as Master of Ceremonies, described how Algonquin College drew on the history of the Iroquois Confederacy in wanting to establish special partnerships between the College and half-a-dozen corporate stakeholders – hence, the DARE6 appellation.
He hopes to see this and other DARE6 partnerships continue this tradition, establishing a genuine dialogue and knowledge exchange between PCL and the College in a mutual commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. “We are excited to breathe life into this partnership with PCL. We are leveraging traditional Indigenous Knowledge to bundle our arrows with likeminded organizations. Alone we are strong, together we will be unbreakable.”
Jeff Turner, Algonquin’s Partnership Development Specialist, who was instrumental in bringing the DARE6 concept to fruition, said this special partnership will see PCL become an integral part of the College, taking its relationship beyond the transactional level of providing a service, to one of including direct participation and engagement in activities customized to reflect its areas of interest.
“This is not a typical sponsorship but a true partnership where we start with a conversation,” he said. “DARE6 partners will become part of the fabric of the College and engage with us on many levels. Together with PCL we will continue our journey to fulfill our complement of partners”
In the case of PCL, which has constructed many of the College’s buildings, the company has expressed interest in becoming more familiar with Indigenous culture, Turner said.
“They really want to grow their Indigenous knowledge; DARE6 is a vehicle for that. It provides them – and any other DARE6 partners – the means to develop an understanding of Indigenous peoples.”
Those seeking information on the DARE6 initiative can contact Jeff Turner, Partnership Development Specialist, via email at turnerj@algonquincollege.com or by phone at 613-727-4723, ext. 6535.
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