HOW THIS BEGAN

The journey began with fundamental questions: How can we deepen the university teaching community's understanding of (and commitment to) decolonization and reconciliation? How do we support faculty and educators in moving beyond structural teaching and hierarchy in learning? How do we support institutional pedagogies to reach to places beyond curricular compliance? When we can see in our students a deep longing for another way of becoming, how do we create spaces for learning that honour the urgency of what they are reaching for?

How do we allow for decolonial learning?

Facilitated by the Simon Fraser University Teaching and Learning Centre, Denise and Fiona collaborated to (re)imagine what a program could look like that addresses those questions. A program that would (w)holistically and ethically connect students, instructors, faculty and educators not only with the spirit of reconciliation, but with an embodied sense of what it means to “decolonize” and where this work begins.

Rather than beginning with a pre-designed course outline, an advisory was formed and we began in circle with one another—and then we moved that circle out into community. This approach allowed us to move beyond the limitations that exist when spaces for learning are solely created inside institutions that carry a legacy of harm. It allowed us to begin co-creating something that honoured the knolwedges of each person, but held at the centre Skwxwú7mesh teachings, culture and people.

By co-creating safety for sharing lived experiences, cultural teachings and land-based knowledges, we were able to create a “curriculum” that lives (and lives) in ethical relationality with the teachings of place.

The advisory ensured that knowledge remained community-led, influenced by Elders and knowledge-keepers. Documenting the process through film served as a digital witness and an accessible, decolonially-held record.

As the program's transformative potential became evident, it was clear that the “program” needed to exist beyond an institution, and live within community for all peoples, and all institutions.

Moving Together in the Ways of the People has gained a life of its own.
We invite you to join us on this continuing journey.