TRI News

For Indigenous students to thrive and succeed at Algonquin College, Indigenous voices need to be involved at every level of the College, bureaucracy and red tape need to be streamlined, student resources better promoted, and faculty should demonstrate flexibility and willingness to accommodate family emergencies.

These were some of the suggestions and recommendations shared with an audience of college employees and faculty, at the March 2 Indigenous Student Leadership Panel, hosted by Shelia Grantham and Kerry Potts, Algonquin College’s Indigenous Pedagogy and Curriculum Consultants in Learning and Teaching Services. Continue reading →

On a snowy day in the Ottawa region, close to 100 learners, employees and other members of the Algonquin College community tuned in to engage with legendary Canadian Murray Sinclair, the former Chair of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

His Honour, with a snow-covered backdrop of his own, joined participants from his home in Winnipeg for a virtual chat answering questions on a range of topics. The conversation was hosted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager, Community and Student Affairs at the Pembroke Campus.

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Soup’s on and ready to eat!

Starting today (Tuesday, Oct. 11) Three Sisters Soup, a traditional soup made from corn, beans and squash, will be on the menu at two locations on campus and will include squash grown and harvested from the College’s own Three Sisters Garden.

The Garden, located outside, across from the Connections Bookstore and Savoir Fare, was planted by horticultural students (with the help of some young people from the Early Learning Centre) back in June. Corn, beans and squash seeds were planted in accordance with Haudenosaune traditions. The Sisters symbolize peace, friendship and respect.

The garden was tended to by horticultural students, staff from the Truth, Reconciliation and Indigenization office and volunteers, including Thaddeus Attagutaluk, a welding and fabrication technician student from Iqaluit, who watered the garden all summer.

In addition to the crops, the final phase of the landscaping project was completed in partnership with PCL Construction. Indigenous plants including sumac, birch, cedar and dogwood were added to a dry riverbed that includes ferns and perennials.

To watch a short video of the Three Sisters Garden from planting to harvest click this link.

After a three-year hiatus, Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) has returned to Algonquin College. Inuit and Dene students from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories (NWT) are learning carpentry skills and getting a taste of college life throughout the month of July. On hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first NYA program at the College since 2019.

NYA is an Ottawa-based charitable organization offering programming in education, career building and community leadership to northern youth. They offer three core programs: the NYA Canadian Program, NYA Next and the NYA International Program. After completing NYA’s Canadian Program, youth aged 1622 are eligible to participate in NYA Next, which takes place at the College’s Ottawa Campus.

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Saturday’s ‘Community Unity’ Indigenous fashion, music and arts show was a huge success! The event took place in Algonquin College’s Indigenous Learning Commons, Nawapon, and was presented by Anangosh Model and Talent Management — a non-profit Indigenous model management and talent agency developed by activist, educator and model, Kyrstin Dumont.

Celebrated Inuk actress Anna Lambe hosted the event, while the production team for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) filmed the event for episode five of APTN’s new Warrior Up! series, set to air in early 2023. Continue reading →

Walking down a runway wearing one-of-a-kind Indigenous designs was the first time that Kyrstin Dumont felt she could fully embody her beauty as an Indigenous woman.

Now, she uses her modelling experience to uplift and amplify other Indigenous youth who are struggling to navigate the Western beauty standards set upon them. Continue reading →

June 21 marks the beginning of summer and to mark the day, the Algonquin College community was invited to attend a special event in partnership with PCL, part of the DARE6 initiative, which supports Indigenization efforts. June 21 also marked National Indigenous Peoples Day.

While the weather put a damper on sitting by the fire, guests had the privilege of listening to Chief Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc near Kamloops, B.C. Continue reading →

Algonquin College and Ottawa Tourism will launch the second iteration of its Indigenous Tourism Entrepreneurship Training (ITET) in January to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in the creation and development of their own business and tourism ideas.

“When we created this training, we wanted it to be different,” said Andre O’Bonsawin, Algonquin College’s Director of Indigenous Initiatives. “We really wanted to develop an authentic, tourism- focused, entrepreneurial training that will support surrounding Indigenous communities, businesses and most importantly Indigenous peoples. We have also created an advisory board with Indigenous entrepreneurs, community members and subject matter experts to help ensure the content for the training is respectful and culturally safe.”

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Please find links below links to resources for in-person and online ways to learn, reflect and commemorate on the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, Sept. 30. Listings, links and information may be added or updated throughout the week. Flags on Algonquin College’s campuses will fly at half-mast to pay tribute to the victims of Canadian Residential Schools, including survivors and the families of those who lost loved ones. September 30 also marks the annual Orange Shirt Day, which finds Canadians wearing orange and engaging in activities and events to recognize and raise awareness of the residential school system experience in Canada.

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Pre-contact Indigenous artifacts discovered in Vincent Massey Park have been brought to the Algonquin College campus for analyzing, cleaning, and recording as part of a larger project involving the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. The project is being assisted by staff from the National Capital Commission and  Public Services and Procurement Canada.
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