September 22, 2025
A Message from Dean Hare
Truth and Reconciliation Week is a time to reflect on the lasting impacts of the Indian residential school system and to honour the strength and survivance of Indigenous communities. It is also a time for all of us to deepen our understanding, take responsibility, and commit to reconciliation in meaningful ways.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, observed on September 30, was established in 2021 in response to the calls of Survivors and Indigenous leaders. It builds on the legacy of Orange Shirt Day, inspired by the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad. As a six-year-old, Phyllis’s new orange shirt, gifted by her grandmother, was taken from her on her first day at residential school, never to be returned.
Her story has become a powerful symbol of how children’s identities and connections to culture were stripped away through the residential school system. The orange shirt reminds us, always, that every child matters.
This page highlights the Faculty of Education’s ongoing work in reconciliation. I encourage you to explore, reflect, and consider how these stories may guide your own learning and actions. Together, we must continue to walk this path with respect, accountability, and hope.
Miigwech,
Jan
Learn more about Dean Hare here.
Through innovative programs and pathways, the Faculty of Education is creating new opportunities that honour Indigenous knowledges, strengthen community connections, and open doors to future generations of educators and leaders.
Ts”kel: Indigenous EdD Specialization
A groundbreaking doctoral pathway rooted in community, empowering Indigenous scholars and leaders through flexible, cohort-based learning in educational leadership and resurgence.
Learn-and-Earn Program
A transformative, year-long program in which Indigenous high school students strengthen cultural connections, complete graduation requirements, and earn early university credits — all while opening powerful pathways to teaching and leadership.
MOOC: Nurturing Childhoods through Indigenous Ways of Knowing
A free, interactive online course (6–8 weeks) that helps educators, families, and service providers enrich early learning by integrating Indigenous knowledge and pedagogies.
Teacher Mentorship Pilot Program (TMPP)
A UBC Faculty of Education–led, province-wide mentorship network offering tailored, community-informed professional development and a dedicated focus on supporting Indigenous teachers to thrive and lead.
Across the Faculty, Indigenous scholars and partners are leading research that disrupts colonial narratives, re-centres Indigenous knowledges, and sparks innovative approaches to education, community, and well-being.
Dr. Janice Forsyth
Challenging colonial narratives in sport by uncovering how Canada’s ‘war canoe’ erased Indigenous traditions — while advancing pathways to reclaim and celebrate them.
Drs. Margaret Macintyre Latta, Bill Cohen and Danielle Lamb
Co-creating respectful, land-based approaches with Indigenous communities that reimagine teaching, dismantle colonial practices, and strengthen reconciliation.
Dr. Rosalin Miles
Leading the innovative ShQUooz Circle initiative, connecting cultural teachings, physical activity, and mentorship from Elders and Knowledge Keepers to uplift Indigenous children, youth, and families.
Through their studies and leadership, Indigenous students are shaping education with creativity, resilience, and community-rooted perspectives that strengthen classrooms and inspire future generations.
Kadence Cave
An Indigenous artist and NITEP student, Kadence, serves as the program’s first Project Assistant, co-developing engaging digital resources and leading wellness workshops that weave Indigenous knowledge into the BEd experience.
Katherine Strom Trudel
An Indigenous West Kootenay Teacher Education Program (WKTEP) graduate, Katherine’s ancestry informs her teaching, centring place-conscious pedagogy, representation, and creating space for difficult but necessary conversations so that every student can thrive.
From pioneering programs to inspiring alumni, these stories highlight the achievements, leadership, and lasting impact of Indigenous educators and advocates within the UBC community and beyond.
Indigenous Education Alumni Network (IEAN)
A vibrant and growing community that fosters connection, collaboration, and collective action among alumni dedicated to Indigenous education.
Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) 50th Anniversary
For half a century, NITEP has been a trailblazer in Indigenous teacher education — shaping generations of educators grounded in cultural strength and excellence. This anniversary honours both its powerful legacy and its enduring vision for the future.
Bringing Indigenous Teacher Education Home
NITEP’s new Lax Kw’alaams Field Centre expands access to teacher education in Northern B.C., bringing culturally rooted training closer to Indigenous communities.
Reclaiming culture through Nsyilxcn language teaching
Kara Ross, UBCO graduate and Syilx educator, revitalizes identity and culture through powerful language teaching in Vernon classrooms.
Shared UNESCO Chair in Rights Education
Dr. Candace Galla takes on a prestigious UNESCO Chair appointment, advancing Indigenous and non-dominant language communities on the global stage.
Reconciliation & Decolonization Alumni Award 2024
Celebrating Chas Desjarlais and Dr. Meike Wernicke for their outstanding leadership and contributions to advancing reconciliation and decolonization.
From landmark lectures and community events to professional learning and opportunities for giving, there are many ways to deepen your engagement with Indigenous education and reconciliation at UBC.
Events
2025-26 Dean’s Distinguished Lecture | October 2, 2025
This year’s lecture features Dr. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson — a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg artist, scholar, and public intellectual whose work has reshaped understandings of Indigenous resurgence and relationality. Through art, storytelling, and education, Dr. Simpson explores how Indigenous ways of knowing connect us more deeply to culture, community, and land.
Intergenerational March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day |September 30
A powerful march of solidarity uniting students, faculty, staff, and community members to honour Survivors, their families, and their communities. The event is both a commemoration and a call to action — affirming that every child matters and that reconciliation is a shared responsibility.
Acts of Giving & Learning |September 23 & 25, 2025
An interactive opportunity to honour Orange Shirt Day in the Scarfe foyer — create “Every Child Matters” buttons, reflect on reconciliation, and share your personal commitments as part of a collective act of remembrance and learning.
When We Were Alone Story Walk | September 22-30 | Scarfe Foyer
A self-guided story walk bringing David Alexander Robertson’s award-winning book When We Were Alone to life across Faculty spaces, alongside plant and poetry walks that spark reflection on our responsibilities to truth and reconciliation.
Conversation with Dr. Sean Carlton and Carolyn Roberts | September 24, 2025
A timely webinar addressing residential school denialism and its ongoing impacts on reconciliation, education, and Indigenous peoples.
Professional development courses for educators
Engaging with Indigenous Curriculum
An immersive, in-person institute equipping BC educators to decolonize and Indigenize their practice while deepening understanding of Indigenous histories, positionality, and anti-oppression.
Assessment for Equity Program
A dynamic online cohort reimagining assessment through Indigenous knowledge and holistic traditions, centring equity, connection, and transformation over metrics.
Programs + Faculty
Meet our Indigenous faculty members
Discover the scholars advancing Indigenous perspectives, revitalization, and educational justice through their teaching, research, and community work.
Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP)
A trailblazing B.Ed. Program rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, dedicated to training Indigenous educators through community-based field centres and culturally grounded pedagogy.
Office of Indigenous Education
Leading the Faculty’s Indigenous strategy by building partnerships, leading advocacy, and advancing initiatives at local, national, and global levels.
The UBC Faculty of Education is situated within the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Syilx (Okanagan) peoples.
