Indigenous STEM; Building Community, Culture and a Canoe

Western ways of teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have unintentionally and (sometimes) intentionally created barriers, and limiting narratives for women who, if given a different way of learning, may not only excel in STEM fields – but add significantly. In addition to this, Indigenous science and ways of knowing are often excluded from postsecondary institutions, and these exclusions limit possibilities.

Here at Confederation College, we want to create possibilities. So instead of encouraging women Indigenous students to conform to an education system that does not fit or feel right, we are working directly with students, the community, Elders and faculty to create the STEM – Indigenous Women and Youth Pathways Program.

The program will help to ensure students’ needs are met in a holistic way by removing barriers and grounding students in cultural knowledge. Navigator, Emily Mackenzie, hailing from Tyendinage First Nation, will help connect students to supports in the College and the community.

The program's Elder, Melissa Roberts was instrumental in designing a land-based credit program at Hammarskjold. She has had various teaching experiences that have seen her teaching in correctional facilities to outdoor education centres and has agreed to help with curriculum development in this program, as well as teaching some of the cultural aspects.

Students enrolled in this special program started classes on November 15^th and have begun to revitalize connections to culture, reconnect with land-based Indigenous science and update math and communications in preparation for the next term.

We are excited about the next term. The College's existing Pre Tech Program is designed to ensure that students who successfully complete it receive a Pre Tech Certificate that will allow them to enter into a Technology, Natural Resource, Trade, or Engineering program of their choice. We are reworking this program class by class so that it honours Indigenous scientific knowledge of the land and Indigenous ways of teaching and learning. Students and teachers will embark on a journey of experiential learning with an emphasis on creating community in the classroom along with Indigenous ways of being and knowing.

Students enrolled in the program will also take a new General elective, where they will learn how to create a birch bark canoe from the responsible harvest of materials to hand-building methods, water teachings and the cultural significance of the canoe as transportation for Indigenous peoples, settlers and the land we now share as Canada. Confederation College is in partnership with Fort William Historical Park to offer this unique opportunity. This large-scale project will foster community, a sense of mastery, creativity, cultural connections and a deep respect for the land that provides us with everything.

After students complete the Pre Tech Certificate program, the Student Navigator and Elder will continue to nurture student growth and address student needs in the first year of their journey in their diploma program of choice.

The program is still accepting applications from Indigenous women and Indigenous youth (18-29). Applicants should have their high school or equivalent (GED, or MSA). Follow this link for more information: www.confederationcollege.ca/program/indigenous-women-and-youth-pathways