Indigenous Student Cultural House

Indigenous Student Cultural House

By: Indigenous Student Centre
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In 2016, the Indigenous Student Centre collaborated with Residence and Housing to pilot the Indigenous Student Cultural House (ISCH), the first living and learning community available at SFU Residence (Burnaby Campus). The program began in September 2016 with a cultural cleanse of the town home facilitated by a local Coast Salish spiritual leader. The spiritual ceremony was to honour and recognize local Coast Salish ceremonial practices, the ceremony also provided the four house community members the opportunity to begin their semester with a strong foundation of cultural care and support. In 2017, the ISCH was expanded from one townhouse (4 residents) to two townhouses (8 residents). Over the year students living in the ISCH were provided opportunities to engage in cultural activities such as drum making, cedar weaving, quill work, beading, etc while being able to live together in a culturally relevant and safe space.  

This year we are pleased to announce there will be three townhouses with twelve Indigenous student residents living as a community in SFU’s Residence and Housing.

Living in the Indigenous Student Cultural House offers students:

  • the potential for a smoother transition into university life through connection and belonging
  • leadership development and peer mentorship skills
  • participation in cultural activities
  • an opportunity to create space to be proud of your unique identity as an Indigenous person by connecting with the Indigenous community and wider SFU community    

Indigenous Student Cultural House

Canadian Indigenous students are invited to apply to live in this living-learning community. Students will participate in cultural and educational programming and engagement opportunities across campus and in the local community guided by SFU’s Indigenous Student Centre.

Eligibility: All Canadian Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) undergraduate students attending SFU

  • Additional Cost: No additional cost.
  • Program Length: September 2018 – April 2019

Note: Canadian Indigenous students are also welcome to apply to live in our other living-learning communities: Engaged Global Citizenship Community, Leadership through Service Learning Community, and the Beedie Undergraduate Community.

Highlights

  • Explore your history, culture and identity with your peers
  • Connect with the SFU Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) community
  • Build community for Indigenous students in residence and across campus
  • Develop leadership and peer mentorship skills

Apply Now

How You Benefit

Students who live in a living-learning community have a unique opportunity to live and learn with like-minded students and have access to programs specifically designed for their community.  Students who live in LLCs also:

  • Feel they made a smoother transition to university, academically and socially
  • Have higher levels of academic self-confidence
  • Are more likely to successfully engage in other projects like honours theses, study abroad opportunities, and research or capstone projects
  • Are more likely to become student leaders and mentors  

(National Study of Living-Learning Programs, 2007)    

Posted on June 26, 2018
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Submitted by admin on Tue, 2018-06-26 16:24 by admin