CNC celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day

I ask you to join me as CNC marks National Indigenous Peoples Day today. This day is a national celebration of the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Canada.

CNC is privileged to serve a region with 22 First Nations. We value and welcome opportunities to support students along any path they choose, while learning together in decolonizing our ways of knowing and being.

While I appreciate there is much to do, I look at areas of celebration in our college. In recent years, we’ve had several projects involving new facilities, art, and programming that have involved cooperation with and learning from Indigenous leaders and students. I am confident the work now taking place to develop a renewed Indigenous education plan for CNC will provide new opportunities for students to achieve their hopes and dreams at the college and in their communities.

National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations are taking place in several communities served by CNC. We encourage you to take part if you’re able. Please note these are the events of which we are aware, and may not reflect all events taking place in the region:

• From 11am to 8pm at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George, with additional celebrations on Thursday at the park and Friday at the Omineca Arts Centre;
• From 9:30am to 3pm in Quesnel at the Helen Dixon Centre at 241 Kinchant Street;
• In Vanderhoof at Riverside Park hosted by the Saik’uz First Nation from 9am to 3pm;
• In Burns Lake starting with a parade beginning at 10am at CNC’s Lakes District Campus and running to Spirit Square for celebrations and performances; and
• In Fort St. James at celebrations throughout the day organized by Nak’azdli Whut’en through the day at Kwah Hall and Cottonwood Park.

CNC’s lhulh whuts’odutel’eh | Learning Together Strategic Plan includes Indigenization in all four of its goals. If we are to be more effective for students from the 22 First Nations communities we serve, Indigenization must impact all aspects of our services including:

• Ensuring culturally relevant support programs and services are in place as part of the student experience;
• Enhancing our learning community through an Indigenization plan and by incorporating Indigenous history, perspectives, and knowledge in curriculum and delivery;
• Developing a culture of inclusion as we work to change college practices; and
• Doing more to revitalize connections with Indigenous communities as well as putting in place a reconciliation strategy.

Thank you.

Help us develop our Indigenous Education Plan

CNC is asking for your thoughts as we begin developing the new Indigenous Education Plan. Please complete the initial survey. The survey will be available until Friday June 30th. Please share the survey with colleagues and friends.