SFU Reconciliation Dialogue Workshop

The SFU Reconciliation Workshop was a day-and-a-half event designed to hold space for the campus community to discuss the role of SFU in supporting reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The workshop was the first of its kind for Canadian post-secondary institutions, and used methodology developed by Reconciliation Canada and Chief Robert Joseph, recipient of SFU’s 2014 Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue.

A major output was a list of actionable ideas for SFU as an institution to build upon its commitment to “honour the history, culture, and presence of Aboriginal peoples.” These ideas were generated by the workshop’s 55 participants, who included a range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices from 28 SFU units and departments.

The resulting dialogue report summarizes participant ideas for action under the following six themes:

1. Increasing the prominence of Indigenous knowledge and culture across the campus community
2. Including Indigenous voices in decision-making and evaluation
3. Increasing opportunities and requirements to learn about Indigenous peoples
4. Providing additional Indigenous student support
5. Promoting Indigenous peoples teaching Indigenous knowledge
6. Integrating Indigenous culture, knowledge and history broadly into SFU courses