Transformative action and the Intercollegiate Decolonization Network (IDN)

Join us for the next event in the series Building Connections: Mobilizing Indigenous Histories for Social Change, for the panel discussion 'Transformative action and the Intercollegiate Decolonization Network (IDN)'. In this conversation, Deborah Rose Lunny, Kim Tekakwitha Martin and Miah Otter will introduce IDN’s methodology and Action Plan “Taking action on systemic racism in college education in Quebec: An Indigenous focus”.

Date: March 30, 2022

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM

Event Description:

The Intercollegiate Decolonization Network (IDN) is an informal, grassroots collective composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees and students, primarily from English-language colleges in the Tioh’tia:ke (Montreal) area, who work in collaboration with Indigenous partners from Indigenous schoolboards and organizations. During this presentation, our speakers will share experiences and analyses of systemic racism, as well as address the responsibilities of non-Indigenous CEGEP employees in learning to recognise and resist systemic barriers to Indigenous student success and in, offering concrete ways to overcome these challenges. They will introduce IDN’s methodology and action plan entitled “Taking action on systemic racism in college education in Quebec: An Indigenous focus”, in the hope that this action plan can guide and inspire transformative action and meaningful change.

Presenters:

Professor Deborah Rose Lunny teaches in the Crossroads Indigenous Transitions Program and the Humanities Department of John Abbott College. Currently, her work is focused on securing and managing grants to support Indigenous CEGEP students, the Intercollegiate Decolonization Network, and Indigenous-lead approaches to decolonizing college education. She is interested in intersectional social justice pedagogies, transnational feminist activisms, social movement learning, the ethics of Indigenous student engagement, and naming and dismantling systemic racism in the CEGEP system.

Kim Tekakwitha Martin is Mohawk from Kahnawake, a practicing nurse and a nursing instructor at John Abbott College. She started her nursing career working in the emergency department of a central city hospital serving a large Indigenous homeless population and surrounding communities. She has also been an instructor for licensed practical nurses and caregivers. Having worked with Indigenous students and patients in various educational and health care settings, and having observed their experiences through a unique lens, she speaks to these observations and how to policies and organizational approaches may conflict with historical and cultural approaches.

Miah Otter is a student at Concordia University who is, pursuing an undergraduate degree in studio arts. They are an advocate for Indigenous students and have been working with the Intercollegiate Decolonization Network (IDN) in decolonizing and Indigenizing education.