Welcome & Landing Ceremony
For the first time in Pearson College’s 50-year history, a welcoming & landing ceremony took place on Wednesday, September 11th involving Chief and Council of Sc’ianew First Nation and our Climate Action Leadership Diploma students. Numerous members of the Sc’ianew community were present, as well as representation from other First Nations including Halalt, Stz’uminus, Cowichan, Kwakwaka’wakw, and Cree. The ceremony’s purpose was to formally ask permission, using Sc’ianew protocols, to come ashore on Sc’ianew land and share in the Coast Salish teachings of land and water that Climate Action Leadership Diploma students will engage with throughout the term.
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Indigenous Vision and Reconciliation
at Pearson College UWC
Pearson College UWC is located on the traditional territory of the Sc’ianew (Beecher Bay) First Nation. As an international school offering a pre-university International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum to up to 210 students from across Canada and around the world, the College has always welcomed Indigenous students from Canada and other countries since the school’s inception in 1974.
Pearson is intentionally building upon the diversity of the College community to specifically focus on transforming Pearson College into a community of cultural safety for Indigenous people. To do so, the College has made a renewed commitment to ongoing recruitment and retention of Indigenous students, developing and adopting an Indigenous Vision for the College and building and following a Reconciliation Action Plan.
Reconciliation is ongoing, not a destination. Like all organizations, Pearson will continue to grow, change and develop so the Reconciliation Action Plan must be a living document. Over time, it must be monitored, evaluated, used and re-examined.
Reconciliation Action Plan
Indigenous Vision
House Re-Naming Ceremony
Land Welcome
Honouring SENĆOŦEN Language
In 2021, a collaboration between the College and the Sc’ianew First Nation (the Salmon people) brought forth unique house names inspired by local salmon species. Learn more about the creative process, the symbolism behind each house, and the cultural significance that unites our community in this journey towards reconciliation.
Salmon Designs | A History
ŦEḴI¸ House
ŦÁ¸WEN House
SȾOḰI¸ House
HENEN¸ House
QOL¸EW̱ House
Our Stories
Truth and Reconciliation: A Personal Reflection
By Grace Goudie/YR 49 Canada - NL September 30th marked a day unfamiliar for many on campus, but important for all. In Canada, September 30th is National Truth and Reconciliation Day, a relatively new holiday for Canadian and International students alike, having only...
New Welcome Sign | Sneak Peak
The journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities takes many forms, including visual acknowledgements of the land we are on. The new SENĆOŦEN language residence house names gifted by the Sc’ianew First Nation and introduced last fall remind every...
Pearson Supports Proposed Indigenous Protected Area Through Land Commitment
Editor’s Note: Pearson College UWC is proud to support to an initiative that could see an Indigenous Protected Area established in this area which would include a 14-hectare College-owned undeveloped property adjoining the main campus. Please check out the full...
Sc’ianew First Nation Gifts SENĆOŦEN Language names, Artwork for Pearson Student Residences
On a special day, before a full house in the McConnell Theatre, Chief Russell Chipps of the Sc’ianew First Nation and Elders Rick Peter and Henry (Hank) Chipps officially celebrated with the campus community the gift of new SENĆOŦEN language names and artwork for five...
New House Names: Honouring Our Land
Editor’s Note: As many readers know, our campus is located on the unceded territory of the Sc’ianew First Nation. Recently, our Director of Learning Emily Coolidge shared a letter with the campus community on behalf of the Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan Working...
YE,TOST* — Guiding the Path
Editor’s Note: The story below was written in the wake of an announcement by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of the discovery the remains of up to 215 Indigenous children buried on the grounds of the closed Kamloops (British Columbia) Indian Residential...
Community Partnerships & Resources
The British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) is a Provincial Territorial Organization (PTO) representing and advocating for the 203 First Nations in British Columbia. BCAFN representation and advocacy is inclusive and extends to First Nations currently engaged in the treaty process, those who have signed modern treaties, and those who fall under historic treaty agreements which include the Douglas Treaties and Treaty 8. The BCAFN also represents and advocates for First Nations in BC that are not in treaty negotiations.
IndigiNews is Indigenous-led journalism that tell stories from across the Indigenous homelands while practicing trauma-informed, culturally relevant and respectful journalism.
IndigiNews was created through a partnership between Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and The Discourse.