The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of Canada and the United States (UA Local 170) has recently gifted $100,000 to SFU’s Faculty of Education, to be used to create a gathering space for indigenous students within the faculty space on the Burnaby campus.
The funding is to be used to create a safe space, as well as purpose-built offices, “to advance indigenous education within our faculty and also within the communities that we serve,” according to Ron Johnston, director of the Office of Indigenous Education for the Faculty of Education.
Johnston described how the funding came to be given after a dialogue was started between the faculty and UA 170 about what the Faculty of Education is trying to do in terms of Aboriginal advancement of indigenous education in the faculty. During the discussions, Johnston said that the gathering space came up as “one of the foundational building blocks that was deemed to be one of the most important pieces.”
As the funding has just been gifted, there are many conversations that need to take place before it’s determined exactly what the Aboriginal gathering space will look like. Said Johnston, “I think some of the details will be flushed out when we actually talk to the students themselves. There will be a dialogue to figure out what that [space] means to them and what would be most beneficial to them. I think that will be a bit of a process, and I don’t know what that looks like right at this particular time.”
It is, fortunately, an opportune time to start discussing the creation of the space, as the Faculty of Education is currently undergoing renovations and determining where different offices and services are going to be positioned.
When asked about whether there is a large need for a space like this, Johnston responded, “I certainly think so. I think that research indicates that Aboriginal students and people being able to have designated spaces creates a sense of place and belonging. That itself will help more students to be successful in their program of study.”
“It will also create opportunities for open dialogue and discussion amongst the students, and there will be levels of peer mentorship and support,” Johnston continued; “whatever will help Aboriginal students to move ahead on their educational journey will be a positive thing.”
Currently, 54 per cent of Aboriginal children are graduating from high school in BC.
Currently, 54 per cent of Aboriginal children are graduating from high school in BC, and Johnston stressed the importance of providing as much support as possible for Aboriginal people going into education to reverse this trend.
“Some of these complex social issues can be discussed amongst Aboriginal students that are training to become teachers or educational leaders in their specific areas of research interest. I think it’s just good all around,” said Johnston.
Johnston said it is difficult to know exactly how many Aboriginal students are currently enrolled in the Faculty of Education, and speculated that many students choose not to self-identify.
He hopes that the gifted funding and the space, which he estimates will be created and functioning within the next year, will help to create awareness of the issues that many Aboriginal students face within the SFU community.
“I think a lot of people aren’t really well-informed about some of the issues and challenges that Aboriginal Peoples face when they come to postsecondary,” said Johnston. “I think we’ve come a long way, yet at the same time there’s still a lot of work that we need to do.”
