Jaimie KechegoJaimie Kechego, the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s newly-hired Indigenous co-ordinator of curriculum and pedagogy.

Proposals invited for grant to promote Indigenous curriculum

The Centre for Teaching and Learning invites the campus community to submit proposals for the Nanadagikenim - Seek to Know Grant.

The purpose of the Nanadagikenim grant is to engage and foster sustainability of Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy, and to inspire other faculty and staff to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into their courses.

The grant is a response to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Universities Canada Principles on Indigenous Education.

Among the principles of the Truth and Reconciliation report is the importance of healing relationships through public truth sharing, apology, and commemoration to acknowledge and redress past harms, and an emphasis on creating a more equitable and inclusive society by closing the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians in social, health, and economic outcomes.

The Nanadagikenim grant will provide a vehicle through which the commission and Universities Canada Principles can be engaged to stimulate the development, implementation, and assessment of innovative teaching and learning that responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and incorporates Indigenous knowledge, ways of knowing, and practice.

Jaimie Kechego, the newly-hired Indigenous co-ordinator of curriculum and pedagogy in the Centre for Teaching and Learning, encourages applicants to consult with her prior to making a submission.

Kechego is a member of the Anishnaabwe Nation known as Deshkaan Ziibi located near London, Ontario. She recently completed master’s in professional education in Aboriginal educational leadership at Western University, and has experience working with Indigenous students and helping educational institutions to develop respectful, responsive, and reciprocal partnerships and collaborations with Indigenous communities and community organizations.

There are two steps to applying. A letter of intent must be submitted by Nov. 22. The online application, including a project description, is due Jan. 6.

The Nanadagikenim grant is supported by one-time funding from the Office of the Provost.