Got a great idea? UCalgary educators invited to apply for 2024 Indigenous Curriculum Grants

“Education is the key to reconciliation. Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it.” – Honourable Murray Sinclair 

Education is a powerful tool, one that comes with colonial foundations that have historically limited diverse ways of teaching and learning. Indigenous histories, culture, knowledge and teachings have been particularly impacted by these practices. 

Indigenous pedagogies view land as a living being that teaches us a way to be in the world through relational and reciprocal relationships with all our relations. Deep wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the land are held by Traditional Knowledge Keepers.  

The Indigenous Curriculum Grants, launched in 2022, aim to bring that knowledge into more UCalgary academic courses and programs. Offered by the Office of Indigenous Engagement, with support from the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) and the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, the grants provide up to $10,000 to support initiatives that will advance Indigenous engagement and Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum. 

“The Indigenous Curriculum Grants will help create spaces for Indigenous resurgence in our teaching and learning across the University of Calgary,” says Dr. Shawna Cunningham, interim Vice-Provost (Indigenous Engagement). “It’s critical that Indigenous knowledge and perspectives have direct connections to student learning experiences, aligning with ii’taa’poh’to’p and furthering meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities.” 

Activities such as resource development, community engagement and consultation, respectful engagement of Elders / Traditional Knowledge Keepers, or innovative land-based learning are a few ideas for educators to consider for their proposals.  

“Teaching and learning must include and affirm Indigenous knowledge systems, histories, cultures, languages and pedagogies for us to see significant change in our institution,” says Dr. Natasha Kenny, PhD, senior director of the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

“The grants are an important way to support work happening across our faculties and encourage the growth of even more initiatives to align with the Indigenous strategy’s recommendations and principles.”  

Applications are open until Feb. 28, 2024. Interested in applying? Read the full grant details and criteria