In partnership with Indigenous elders and community members, we will increase flourishing and equity through language revitalization, and we will immerse our campus and curriculum in culturally appropriate, anti-colonial principles. Our fundamental objective is to answer the calls to action set by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and by U of T in Wecheehetowin.
Our campaign goals for contributing to the flourishing of Indigenous communities are broadly conceived, including aspirations for impact in health, environmental justice, and entrepreneurship and innovation. Those goals are embedded throughout or marquee initiatives.
In language and culture, through this campaign we will create greater, sustained wellbeing and thriving through revitalizing Indigenous languages. First seeking to understand what Indigenous communities want, we will co-create sustained partnerships that nourish and fortify people through culture. Together, we will develop an Institute for Recovery of Indigenous Languages—a hub of sustained education, research, and community-engaged programs that transforms our region and our province through deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, philosophies, practices, art, spiritual ways, and concepts of relationship-building. This effort will build on UTM’s current community partnerships, faculty expertise, and programs, including the Indigenous Centre, Indigenous Art Archive, and programs through the Blackwood Gallery. We will make our campus an appropriate, welcoming place for gathering, exploring, learning, and honoring Indigenous worldviews. Increased scholarship support will enable us to welcome more Indigenous students and make our campus an even more dynamic place for learning. New cohorts of faculty and professors of practice will further expand teaching, research, and engagement. They will strengthen our Indigenous Studies curriculum and help to de-colonize our curricula across campus. We will amplify current programs offered through UTM’s Indigenous Centre and create a new physical home for the Centre in concert with our Indigenous partners.
