Syllabics
The First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), in partnership with the National Indigenous University Senior Leaders’ Association (NIUSLA), was honoured to host the 2nd National Indigenous Citizenship Forum: Moving Beyond Indigenous Self-identification at Canadian Post-secondaries.
The Forum was held on March 21st and 22nd, 2023 at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina, Treaty 4 Territory, as well as online for virtual attendees. Videos of the event and post-forum report will be posted to the Forum Website shortly. Please visit https://www.nicforum.ca/ for further details.
The 1st and 2nd Forums were an Indigenous-only space to continue the important discussions around best practices for validating citizenship for Indigenous-specific opportunities at academic institutions.
This year, we programmed presentations, panels, and conversation circles with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, staff, students, and academics from across Canada. Featured speakers include Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann (Saulteaux), President of the First Nations University of Canada and NIUSLA co-chair; Jean Teillet (Métis), Senior Counsel with Pape Salter Teillet LLP and specializes in Indigenous rights law; Dr. Kim TallBear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), and Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience, and Society in the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta.
Forum participation and attendance was limited to invited Indigenous individuals who are connected with post-secondary institutions.
The impetus of the Forum is to provide recommendations and identify wise practices within postsecondary institutions pertaining to Indigenous-specific opportunities.
It is likely that this academic forum will directly benefit your organization as the outcomes of this event will be published as a roadmap to ensure dedicated Indigenous resources are allocated to actual Indigenous peoples.
We welcome sponsorship from universities, colleges, academic institutions, national research organizations, all levels of government, and the corporate sector. Your financial contribution will support this important work and the ongoing dialogue.
Sponsors will receive a copy of the post-forum recommendations in our final report which will also thank your organization and include your logo.
Please contact us for more information on supporting this important work and becoming a sponsor for next year’s Forum.
The purpose of the National Indigenous University Senior Leaders’ Association (NIUSLA) is to bring together Indigenous senior administrative leaders from academic institutions, who have a University or Faculty/College/School-wide mandate, to network and to engage in constructive dialogue and actions that pertain to the roles and responsibilities of leadership within the academic university context.
NIUSLA members will have the opportunity to share experiences and information, provide recommendations, and identify areas of success and need within post-secondary institutions.
NIULSA strives to:
Indigenous senior leaders with a university, college or faculty-wide mandate are invited to join NIUSLA.
The term ‘Indigenous’ refers to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada and the United States mainland.
If you would like to become a member, please contact Co-Chair Ms. Denise Baxter.
The Final Report from the inaugural National Indigenous Identity Forum was released on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Indigenous Voices on Indigenous Identity summarizes What Was Heard throughout the 2-day virtual forum held March 9 and 10, 2022.
The Report covers the intent of the Forum, key highlights of the panel discussions, Elders’ videos, and conversation circles. Recommendations from this report include hosting a second two-day hybrid event.
On March 9 & 10, 2022, the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) in partnership with the National Indigenous University Senior Leaders’ Association (NIUSLA), will host the first National Indigenous Identity VIRTUAL Forum.
The Forum plan will include discussions of wise practices for validating identity for Indigenous-specific opportunities at academic institutions and setting the stage for ongoing dialogue.
The two-day Forum is an Indigenous-only safe space that is urgently needed for Indigenous university campus members to gather for constructive and respectful dialogue.
In the era of truth and reconciliation and UNDRIP, hosting such a dialogue allows us to develop the frameworks, principles, guidelines, wise practices and procedures to determine citizenship or ancestry requirements for Indigenous Peoples status within the Canadian post-secondary context.
For campus locations, maps and hours of operation, please visit our contact us page.
(the good path through life)
(the good path through life)