Université Laval and the Université du Québec network, in partnership with numerous Indigenous organizations, will host the 6th edition of the National Building Reconciliation Forum from September 21 to 23, 2021. Under the theme “Falling into step with First Peoples students,” the Forum will rally Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders from the university community to gain a better understanding of the cultural and historical realities of First Nations and Inuit in Québec and the rest of Canada with regard to education. The attendees will share their thoughts and their concrete initiatives to support the multiple educational paths and trajectories of First Peoples students.
“First Nations and Inuit peoples face significant obstacles on the road to academic success and admission to university. It is important to recognize the systemic barriers they must overcome, and adopt tangible measures to assist in their success,” mentioned Michèle Audette, Senior Advisor for Reconciliation and Indigenous Education at Université Laval.
The theme of the forum “Falling into step with First Peoples students” to…
- Show respect for the realities of First Nations and Inuit people regarding education in Québec (e.g., language, culture, history, pride in their identity, etc.).
- Support the multiple paths and trajectories of First Peoples students.
- Recognize the systemic barriers and challenges associated with each of the different levels of education.
- Identify potential mechanisms to overcome these barriers, determine the roles of different actors (governments, educational institutions, services, etc.), and obtain concrete commitments from these actors to support and guide First Peoples students throughout their education
The goals of the forum:
- Developed in a collaborative process, the forum seeks to rally and bring together the main actors in the world of Indigenous education and all post-secondary institutions in Quebec and across Canada.
- It will serve as a springboard to ensure that the ideas discussed at the forum come to fruition, and that they help support Indigenous people in the process of taking charge of education by and for First Peoples, and transforming Québec and Canadian society.
- Our hope is that this event will mark a commitment by the actors involved to take concrete action aimed at overcoming systemic barriers to the success of First Peoples students.