Indigenous Education

News and Events

Call for Participation in Indigenous Nursing Students and Alumni

March 18, 2022

Research Interviews with Red River College Polytechnic

We are looking for Indigenous students that are currently enrolled, or those who have recently graduated from the Pathways to Nursing, Nursing Baccalaureate, or Licences Practitioner Nursing programs at Red River College Polytechnic. Those who choose to participate will be asked to complete a short anonymous survey and participate in a 1-hour one-on-one interview with the researcher.

The Purpose of the Interviews

The interviews will assist in developing the parameters for the Bill and Shirley Loewen Indigenous Nursing annual bursary. The parameters will be co-developed by the Truth and Reconciliation – Indigenous Strategy and Business Development Department, Dean – School of Indigenous Education, Department of Advancement and Development, and the Student Financial Aid and Bursaries. 

The fund purpose:

This fund will support Indigenous students attending the Pathways to Nursing program and related Nursing programs at RRC Polytech. The fund’s goal is to ensure that Indigenous students who want to devote their careers to Nursing have all the support needed to graduate and gain their desired employment. 

The fund will support all Indigenous student needs, including but not limited to:

  • student support (educational and mental), 
  • equipment required for successful completion of the program, 
  • external accommodations, 
  • scholarship/awards/bursaries (the goal is to provide full tuition support), 
  • room and board.

Questions on the research or interested in participating?

Please contact Kyra De La Ronde

kdelaronde2@rrc.ca

Spring Virtual Bingo Night

March 11, 2022

Thursday, March 31 – 7:00pm – 8:30pm

After a successful first bingo family fun night, Indigenous Student Supports is back with a another night of online bingo! Feel free to join with your family, friends and classmates.

We will do four rounds of full cards for each direction (North, South, East, West) and there are prizes to be won! The grand prize is an incredibly cozy Sherpa lined with fleece exterior bedroom set from Dene Cree Designs. The event will be hosted via Microsoft Teams. Everything for this event is online – no dabbers required.

Stay the Course Speaker Series: Dean Davis

March 10, 2022

Inspiring stories from RRC’s Indigenous Alumni

How do successful people get to where they are? What did that journey look like? What did they learn and how did they stay the course? What does it mean to be an Indigenous student in post-secondary?

The Stay the Course speaker series is a hand from one generation to the next, hosted by Carla Kematch, Manager, Truth and Reconciliation and Community & Engagement. Every month, incredible RRC Indigenous Alumni share their experiences on their journey to success. Advancing Indigenous achievement at RRC means listening to Indigenous stories. This is just one of the many ways we can embed the efforts of Truth and Reconciliation in our daily lives.

Dean Davis

Dean Davis is Indigenous from Ebb and Flow First Nation who has worked in Winnipeg as a technologist in many industries over the past 30 years. These industries include Repair/Calibration Services, Telecom, Medical Devices and the latest Aerospace which he hopes to be the last. He is a graduate of a two-year engineering technology program at Red River College.

His education and work experience has developed him into a Configuration Control Specialist in the Helicopter Division at Standard Aero.

Indigenous Education Exploration Fair

March 7, 2022

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Time: 4:00 – 7:00pm

Ever wondered about Indigenous Education programs at RRC Polytech? Curious about your options? Want to talk directly to instructors and staff?

Join us for our virtual Indigenous Education Exploration Fair where you can connect, discuss, and explore programs and career paths virtually.

This event will help you learn, plan, and start your post-secondary education in a supportive environment so you can receive the skills, training, and confidence to strengthen the path forward for the next seven generations. Let us know how we can help you carve your path as you aspire towards your personal, professional and community goals.

This event is for future First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, their families, friends, and support networks, community organizations, and anyone who wants to learn more about Indigenous Education at RRC Polytech.

What to Expect

  • Keynote Speaker Sheila North, RRC Alumni, Journalist, Former Grand Chief, Advocate
  • Greetings from Elders-In-Residence: Paul Guimond and Una Swan
  • Visit a variety of booths – meet staff and ask questions
  • Tune into a live broadcast to learn all about Indigenous Supports at RRC Polytech
  • Learn about programs, supports, and campuses

Indigenous Youth Networking Forum

February 17, 2022

Wednesday, March 16, 2022
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
VIRTUAL – ZOOM
FREE

Are you a student interested in meeting a potential mentor in your desired field?

Join us for our free virtual Indigenous Youth Networking Forum – where we will bring together local business mentors with Indigenous post-secondary students to discuss career journeys, life advice and how to seek meaningful employment.

Hosted in partnership with RRC Polytech’s Indigenous Education and HP Change, attendees will first hear from an Indigenous business panel discussion then be broken into smaller groups, depending on the student’s interest and business leader’s specialization.

Why should students attend:

  • Get your questions answered and gain credible career advice from local business leaders matched to you
  • Create meaningful relationships with potential mentors
  • Network with future employers located here in Winnipeg

To help us engage mentors that would be relevant and of value to students in attendance, we have just a few questions in the above registration.

Family Fun Night – Métis Kahoot!

February 9, 2022

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | 7pm-8pm

It’s Family Fun Night – with a Métis theme in honour of Louis Riel Day! Indigenous Student Supports invites you, your family and friends to join us virtually to play a Métis version of Kahoot! with prizes to be won. Navigation Coach Terri-Lynn Anderson and her family will also share a short lesson on how to do the Red River Jig. The event is hosted via Microsoft Teams and all are welcome to come – we hope to see you there!

A Métis Moment: History of Louis Riel and Manitoba

January 20, 2022

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | 12-1 pm

Shirley Delorme Russell from the Louis Riel Institute joins us for a lunch hour session to share the history of Métis peoples in Manitoba in advance of Louis Riel Day (February 21) to support our collective truth and reconciliation journey.

Learn about Louis Riel and why we have a provincial holiday named for him!

Find out why the creation of the province of Manitoba (where Louis Riel was the President) led to the Supreme Court Land Claims Case of 2013.

Understand all the resources that are available to Métis citizens (including RRC Polytech students!)

Shirley Delorme Russell

Shirley Delorme Russell (Class of 2007 Aboriginal Languages) is a proud Métis woman from the heart of the Métis nation by her momma as a Delorme. She is a humble Anisinaabekwe from her father from the land of the Sleeping Giant by her dad as a Russell.

A history nerd at heart, Shirley loves to instill pride and excitement as she shares Métis history with others.

Trained at RRC Polytech in Aboriginal Languages as part of her Bachelor of Education (University of Winnipeg 2010), Shirley is currently the Instructor of Métis History and Culture at the Louis Riel Institute, the educational affiliate of the Métis national government- the Manitoba Métis Federation.

Virtual Bingo Night

January 12, 2022

Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | 7pm- 8:30pm

Indigenous Student Supports invites you to a family fun night with online bingo! Feel free to join with your family, friends and classmates.

We will do four rounds of full cards for each direction (North, South, East, West) and there are prizes to be won! The event will be hosted via Microsoft Teams. Everything for this event is online – no dabbers required.

Stay the Course Speaker Series: Darrell Brown

January 11, 2022

Inspiring stories from RRC’s Indigenous Alumni

How do successful people get to where they are? What did that journey look like? What did they learn and how did they stay the course? What does it mean to be an Indigenous student in post-secondary?

The Stay the Course speaker series is a hand from one generation to the next, hosted by Carla Kematch, Manager, Truth and Reconciliation and Community & Engagement. Every month, incredible RRC Indigenous Alumni share their experiences on their journey to success. Advancing Indigenous achievement at RRC means listening to Indigenous stories. This is just one of the many ways we can embed the efforts of Truth and Reconciliation in our daily lives.

Darrell Brown

Darrell Brown is a Cree business owner based in Winnipeg. Darrell is President of Kisik Clean Energy and Kisik Commercial Furniture. He is a 2004 founding member and current chair of the Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce based in Manitoba. He holds an Advanced Diploma in International Business from Red River College in Manitoba and a Certificate of Indigenous Leadership, Governance and Management Excellence from the Banff Centre. Darrell holds the designation of ICD.D from The Rotman, Directors Education Program through The Institute for Corporate Directors. Darrell also holds a certificate in the 20/20 Catalyst program focusing on the Indigenous Renewable Energy Sector. Darrell is the newly elected chair of the Indigenous Clean Energy Network, a social enterprise to advance renewable energy for indigenous people across Canada.

Conversations with Authors: A Truth and Reconciliation Series

January 4, 2022

Live conversation with Bomgiizhik (Isaac Murdoch), author of The Trail of Nenaboozhoo

MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 12:00-1:00 PM

Conversations with Authors is a new series hosted by Indigenous Education and Library and Academic Services to further the conversation and our understanding of truth and reconciliation. We have selected some of the best of Canadian Indigenous writing, and lined up live conversations with the authors of these books. Everyone is welcome to attend the live sessions, which will also be recorded and posted on this site at a later date.

“Nanaboozhoo, the creator spirit-being of Ojibway legend, gave the people many gifts. This collection of oral stories presents legends of Nanaboozhoo along with other creation stories that tell of the adventures of numerous beloved animal spirits. The Trail of Nanaboozhoo is a book of art and storytelling that preserves the legends of the Anishinaabe people. Each story is accompanied by strikingly beautiful illustrations by revered Indigenous artists Isaac Murdoch and Christi Belcourt.” (Published by Kegedonce Press, 2020)

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anishininwak, Dakota Oyate, and Denésuline, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.