Indigenous TRU

President’s Message:
An invitation to support healing and action

Dear students, staff and faculty,

The past several days have been extraordinarily painful for many people — in our university community, our region and across the country as the discovery of children’s remains at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School has cast fresh light on Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples.

In support of those hurting, we can be present and respectful. We can join humbly in healing. And we can plan and take action in the spheres where it is ours to act, so that never again will we repeat history.

This week a number of activities are occurring at TRU in support of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the broader Secwépemc Nation, as well as Indigenous communities throughout the country. Consider ways in which you can participate.

Read the rest of the message

Virtual Healing Circle — Thursday, June 3, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. See details further below
Wear an orange shirt — throughout the week or on Thursday, wear an orange shirt in remembrance of the children lost, and to raise awareness about residential schools
Orange light-up of the Kamloops North Tower Residences — nightly from 9 to 11 p.m. until Friday the North Tower will be an orange hue against the night sky, a bright statement that every child matters
Campus flags lowered — for a total 215 hours, until Sunday, June 6, flags will be at half-mast in remembrance of the lost children.

In addition to the above, I would encourage each of us to become informed, to understand the truth behind this past week’s news, and what each of us can do to make a difference. Consider the variety of resources available through TRU’s Office of Indigenous Education including information on residential schools, or the information available through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Without understanding truth, we will never get to reconciliation.

Think of this, particularly, in light of tomorrow, which marks the start of National Indigenous History Month, when we celebrate the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.

Lastly, as a reminder, please connect with the various counselling supports available as needed. This information, along with details for the Virtual Healing Circle, are below.

Sincerely,
Brett Fairbairn

Virtual Healing Circle

Thursday, Jun 3, 10:30 a.m. – noon PST

Join TRU's virtual healing circle on Zoom this Thursday. The Zoom link and other ways to join the virtual meeting are available on the TRU Events calendar: How to join

Supports for students:

Indigenous Student Development (Cplul’kw’ten): reach out to an Indigenous Learning Strategist at indigenous@tru.ca
Counselling Services: at studentservices@tru.ca or call 250-828-5023
24/7 Provincial Counselling Services: Here2Talk.ca, or call 1-877-857-3397

Supports for faculty and staff:

Counsellor support through LifeWorks EFAP: call 1-877-207-8833
Email Campus Wellness Advisor Joy Demsey or call 250-828-5344 if you need further support

Other supports:

First Nations Health Authority Mental Health Benefit
Indian Residential School Survivors Society 24 Hour Crisis Line
KUU-US Crisis Line Society 24 Hour Crisis Line (British Columbia)
Métis Nation BC 24 Hour Crisis Line: call 1-833-METIS-BC (1-833-638-4722)

Thompson Rivers University campuses are on the traditional lands of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops campus) and the T’exelc (Williams Lake campus) within Secwépemc'ulucw, the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc. Our region also extends into the territories of the St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Nuxalk, Tŝilhqot'in, Dakelh, and Syilx peoples.

Recording by Vernie Clement, Lhoosk’uz Dene, Dakelh

Indigenization at TRU

Good work takes time, and at TRU, indigenizing initiatives are wide-ranging and ongoing. Here are some examples:

A partnership with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc

Material from the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society

Indigenous Awareness Week activities

Estil, Secwepemctsin for ‘stop’, is stopping traffic

Ch’nook Scholars program for business students

School of Nursing Bearing Witness program

A partnership with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc

Material from the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society

Indigenous Awareness Week activities

Estil, Secwepemctsin for ‘stop’, is stopping traffic

Ch’nook Scholars program for business students

School of Nursing Bearing Witness program

Coyote Project

The Coyote Project is TRU’s roadmap to achieving the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. It has united all of TRU in creating a campus that is welcoming and supportive to all, especially Indigenous students and staff. Faculties and departments are addressing barriers to recruitment, retention and completion for Indigenous students.

Beyond the classroom

We embrace inclusiveness and celebrate Indigenous cultures with events, clubs and many other ways for you to get involved with your campus community.

Jessy's Story

Even as a child, Jessy Dame knew his future would be tied to health care. With a nursing degree at TRU at hand, this young Métis student is well on his way to fulfilling his calling — but beyond clinic and classroom, Jessy’s time at TRU has also nourished his Indigenous roots, expanded his understanding of the planet and strengthened his capacity to create positive change.

Stories

Connecting with words

TRU President Brett Fairbairn drew upon a group of Secwépemc Elders to translate the university's vision statement into their ancient language.

Researcher joins Indigenous health-care task force

Dr. Sheila Blackstock has been appointed to the BC Government’s In Plain Sight task force.

Sharing in sorrow and truth

President Brett Fairbairn writes in respect and honour to our region's first peoples, who at this time are dealing with the incomprehensible.

More than 40 TRU Elders, deans, faculty and staff are the proud recipients of this year’s Alan Blizzard Award from the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. This national award recognizes excellence in their collaborative teaching through the Knowledge Makers, which mentors Indigenous students to success as Indigenous researchers.

Thompson Rivers University is dedicated to Indigenous student success, to fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and to promoting Indigenous knowledges and scholarship. Through collaboration, innovation, respect and humility, the university fosters a welcoming environment that is grounded in the principles of reconciliation and is able to address the calls to action placed on everyone in this country.

Traditional Secwepemc (Shuswap) Territory

Kamloops and Williams Lake campuses are both situated on the traditional and unceded Secwepemc (Shuswap) territory.

We acknowledge and give honour to the Secwepemc — the ancestral peoples who have lived here for thousands of years — upon whose traditional and unceded land Thompson Rivers University is located. The Secwepemc maintain a spiritual and practical relationship to the land, water, air, animals, plants and all things needed for life on Mother Earth. It is with that in mind that we owe this debt of gratitude.

There are approximately 7,000 Secwepemc people in the territory, which spans 180,000 square kilometres through the interior plateau of south central British Columbia. The mountain ranges, grasslands and river valleys surrounding the Fraser, and North and South Thompson rivers create the boundaries of the territory.

TRU has one of the largest Indigenous student populations among BC post-secondary institutions, with well over 2,000 students (about 10 percent), representing 16 First Nation and Indigenous peoples enrolled in new, continuing, open learning and trades programs.

In addition to Secwepemc students, Indigenous students at TRU come from several BC nations, including the Carrier, Okanagan, Nuxalk, and Nlaka'pamux, as well as students of Métis and Inuit ancestry.

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Indigenous TRU