Racing, leaping, vaulting, shot-putting – it’s no ordinary school day. Students from area First Nations in Grades 6, 7 and 8 took a road trip to Western’s Thompson arena where they tested their athletic skills at Indigenous Track and Field Day on …
Indigenous
Dresses speak for Indigenous women
It’s likely you’ve seen a red dress hanging somewhere on Western’s main campus. On trees. Lampposts. Signs. It’s part of the REDress Project to acknowledge the need for justice for Indigenous women.
Guide ‘introduces’ campus to Indigenous students
This fall, Western will distribute 5,000 new guides intended to help faculty, staff and administrators support the educational and cultural needs of Indigenous students. Built on the foundation of the university’s Indigenous Strategic Plan, the Guide for Working with Indigenous Students is a primer that outlines contextual reasons and practical ways to make the campus and classroom more receptive spaces.
School tackles ‘big job’ of Indigenous health
Because there’s no time to lose, Vanessa Ambtman-Smith plans to explore an in-hospital medicine lodge on her way to join other scholars at the inaugural Indigenous Mentorship Network Summer School in Sudbury next week. “We have to hit the ground running because there...
Revitalizing Indigenous Education and redefining scholarship
Education is considered to be one of the most potent tools to improve the lives of young Indigenous peoples in Canada. And its work remains unfinished, according to one Western researcher. More than half of Canada’s youngest and fastest-growing population hasn’t...
Newsmakers: The Director
Janice Forsyth Janice Forsyth is the new Director of First Nations Studies program in the Faculty of Social Science. As the program undergoes review and looks toward attaining department status, Forsyth is excited by the momentum and institutional support generated by...
Newsmakers: The Athlete
Joy Spear Chief-Morris For Joy Spear Chief-Morris, track and field was an escape. The sport was a place to get away from the world, a place she sensed she belonged and, most of all, a place where she chased dreams she never thought possible. Earlier this year, she was...
Newsmakers: The Advocate
Christy Bressette When Christy Bressette, BA’95 (Brescia), BEd’96, PhD’08, first stepped onto Western’s campus more than two decades ago, it was “an isolating experience.” Thankfully, this won’t be the case for an incoming student today. In the coming year, Bressette...
Award honours athlete still running down dreams
Joy Spear Chief-Morris, BA’17, won the 2017 Tom Longboat Award, an honour that recognizes Aboriginal athletes for outstanding contributions to sport in Canada.
FNS, university efforts gaining momentum
As she considers the future of Western’s First Nations Studies program, Janice Forsyth is most excited by the momentum and institutional support generated by the university’s Indigenous Strategic Plan. “The program has been around for more than a decade and is...
Alumna looks to end ‘isolation’ for others
An Anishinabe member of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, Christy Bressette, among the first Indigenous persons to receive a Western doctorate, will co-chair the university’s task force to implement its new Indigenous Strategic Plan.
Mandawe named city’s first Artist in Residence
Erik Mandawe, like the music he creates, is an ever-shifting landscape.
Student finds self in First Nations language, arts
For Frazer Sundown, learning the Oneida language and performing traditional powwow music has helped define his identity – and his plans for the future. A student in the First Nations Studies program at Western, Sundown is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Oneida...