Registration is open for the Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building 2025 course starting on Jan. 30 at the University of the Fraser Valley.
"This unique and impactful program, developed by UFV’s PARC in collaboration with UFV Continuing Education, the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal Council, the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, and the Stó:lō Grand Chiefs' Council, offers participants an invaluable opportunity to deepen their understanding of reconciliation and allyship," according to the UFV webpage for the course.
The teachings aim to cultivate the empathy, knowledge, and skills in non-Indigenous people to build meaningful relationships and work collaboratively with local Indigenous communities in the Fraser Valley and beyond.
Monthly presentations, workshops, and hands-on learning, participants explore vital topics: Lands and Resources, Settler Colonialism, Governance, Assimilation and Residential Schools, and Culture and Spirituality.
Keith Carlson, director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) spoke about how the unique course was developed.
“This program was designed in direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, and in particular to requests by Stó:lō leaders that UFV partner with them to help educate non-Indigenous people about Stó:lō history and culture, and to provide participants with strategies on how they can respectfully play a role in helping to build genuine reconciliation as allies,” Carlson told The Chilliwack Progress in 2022.
The next session of this part-time, non-credit course starts Jan. 30, 2025, and is structured to accommodate working professionals, students, and community members alike, with course sessions held on the second Thursday of each month (none in August), with Saturday workshops. Locations will include Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission.
See registration details for the course Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building are online, or over the phone 1-888-823-8734 and select option 1 to register through the Office of the Registrar.
