Pathways Taken By One Canadian College to Advance Reconciliation and the Creation of a New Reconciliation Engagement Program with Indigenous Peoples

Authors

  • Randy Battochio College Boreal
  • Andrea Dokis
  • Charlene Restoule
  • Paige Restoule
  • Natasha Mayer
  • Mallorie Leduc
  • Tana Roberts

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v8i3.70403

Keywords:

reconciliation, college, social innovation, Indigenous Peoples

Abstract

Canada-wide efforts are being made to close the gaps that exist in the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples besieged by a past of cultural genocide, oppression, and exploitation. The purpose of this essay is to provide members of Colleges and Institutes of Canada (CICan) access to a proposed program to engage in reconciliation, with the objective of facilitating Indigenous community engagement through social innovation, training, and applied research. The proposed program is exemplified through the relationship built between Collège Boréal and Dokis First Nation located in northern Ontario. The proposed Reconciliation Engagement Program consists of two streams that encourage CICan members to utilize, among other possible decolonizing methods, the tenets of a Critical Indigenous Methodology to value and foreground local Indigenous voices. The first stream would consist of networking activities to establish relationships, understand Chief and Council’s vision, and seek opportunities for capacity building within an Indigenous community. The second stream would be project-based so that capital costs and human resources can be accessed to complete each project. While proposing the new program is important, the present essay can also be used to exemplify how Canadian colleges and polytechnics can adopt a decolonizing approach during their engagement with Indigenous communities. 

Author Biographies

Randy Battochio, College Boreal

was the principal investigator and facilitator of the creation and development of the physical activity programs for youth and adults in the Indigenous community. 

Andrea Dokis

is a health promotion director at a local Indigenous health center and a community member in Dokis First Nation. She was a community-appointed researcher that guided the creation and development of physical activity programming. 

Charlene Restoule

is the Health Director of Dokis First Nation and the community-appointed researcher that led, created, and coordinated the health promotion activities in the community. 

Paige Restoule

is a council member in Dokis First Nation and she was responsible for sharing knowledge about Indigenous traditions with community members. She was also a member of the community-appointed research team. 

Natasha Mayer

was a researcher with an expertise in health promotion and public health. She had coordinated activities in Dokis First Nation within the restrictions of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Mallorie Leduc

is a researcher with expertise in rural and northern health and was responsible for knowledge translation. 

Tana Roberts

is a researcher that prepared the literature for the manuscript and regularly engaged with community researchers to begin implementing physical activity programming for youth in 2019. 

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Published

2022-12-22

How to Cite

Battochio, R., Dokis, A. ., Restoule, C. ., Restoule, P. ., Mayer, N. ., Leduc, M., & Roberts, T. . (2022). Pathways Taken By One Canadian College to Advance Reconciliation and the Creation of a New Reconciliation Engagement Program with Indigenous Peoples. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 8(3), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v8i3.70403