NITEP Visiting Elder Series

Monday April 12, 11:30 – 1:00 PM PDT & 4:00 – 5:30: Elders Eric Mitchell and Chris Marchand This event was cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date

Life partners, Christina Marchand and Eric Mitchell aremembers of the Syilx/Okanagan Nation. Christina is aSixties Scoop survivor, and Eric is a survivor of theResidential School system. As Elders in Residence atthe UBCO Aboriginal Center they make importantcontributions to enriching the educational experiencefor Indigenous students. As co-founders of culturalsafety programming and Adjunct Professors in boththe School of Nursing and Faculty of Creative andCritical Studies, they have made tremendouscontributions to the experiences of Indigenousstudents, faculty, and staff. They have influenced thecultural safety education at UBCO by giving voice toIndigenous stories, exposing the truth about thecolonial narrative and inspiring participants toposition themselves in Reconciliation.

Wednesday March 24, 1:00 – 3:30 PM PDT: Elder Joe Pierre

Joe Pierre was raised in the Community of ʔaqʾam formerly known as the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve and is a citizen of the Ktunaxa Nation. He attended the University of Calgary in the Fine Arts. At the U of C Joe met several other First Nations people interested in Theatre and they collaborated together to form the Crazy Horse Theatre Company.The company mounted several productions in Calgary all of which were written by Aboriginal writers. Joe also worked for a season with the CBC production “North of Sixty”. Joe was a storyteller at the very first Proctor Storytelling Festival and he has presented at several other festivals throughout the Kootenays. Currently he is employed by School District 5 Southeast Kootenay and is a member of the Board of Directors for the First Nations Education Steering Committee. Joe served as a Councilor for the St. Mary’s Indian band for 8 years and was a member of the Board of Governors for the College of the Rookies for 6 years. In the Fall of 2016 Joe was elected back to the ʔaqʾam council, this time in the capacity of Chief Councilor. He is a husband to wife Jennifer and a father to fourteen-year-old Jude. Together they are known as “Triple J”.

For more details check our event poster.

March 18, 12:45 – 2:00 PM PDT: Elder Larry Grant

Elder Larry Grant, Musqueam Elder, was born and raised in Musqueam traditional territory by a traditional hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking Musqueam family. After 4 decades as a tradesman, Larry enrolled in the First Nations Languages Program, which awoke his memory of the embedded value that the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓  language has to self-identity, kinship, culture, territory, and history prior to European contact. He is presently assisting in revitalizing hən̓ q̓ əmin̓ əm̓  in the Musqueam Language and Culture Department, and co-teaching the introductory hən̓ q̓ əmin̓ əm̓  course through UBC.

Larry is the Elder-in-Residence at UBC’s First Nations House of Learning. He is a Faculty Fellow at St. John’s College, and the inaugural Honorary Life Fellow for Green College. In 2010, he received the Alumni Award of Distinction from Vancouver Community College, and in 2014, he became an Honorary Graduate from the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) at UBC.

View Event Poster Here.

February 9: Gerry Oleman 3:00 – 4:30 PM PDT

Gerry Oleman is a member of the St’at’imc Nationfrom Tsal’alh (Shalalth B.C.) and has been involved asa change agent for First Nations communities and agencies since 1976. His experiences include providing counseling for individuals, families, and groups, and providing leadership politically and administratively to his community and Nation. Gerry came to the realization that all First Nations in Canada have the same suffering and challenges; all challenge sare man-made therefore they can be healed and fixed using our traditions and laws that worked for us for thousands of years. Over the past 34 years, Gerry has facilitated over 645 workshops across Canada and in the United States

 View Event Poster Here.
 
 

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