Ron McLester leads exploration of Indigenization at Algonquin College

Posted on Monday, February 11th, 2019

Ron McLester led a discussion and exploration of Indigenization at Algonquin College on Monday afternoon, looking specifically at the next steps in the Indigenization process.

McLester indicated that this will be influenced by the development of a thanksgiving address that the College community will develop together. The message will incorporate Indigenous Knowledge as a way of bringing everyone together on common ground to ask, “what are the things in our environment that can be identified, collected and codified as our version of the thanksgiving address.”

This would all be an effort to “re-engage people’s minds” in Indigenization and create “our version of, “These are the things we are thankful for and this is how they’re connected.”

McLester also provided an overview of:

• Transforming Indigenization Initiatives
• Primary and secondary research
• Environmental Scanning
• And an update on the AC Mindset enhanced by Indigenous Knowledge

“I foresee doing this sharing, this experiment, this pathfinding up to four times,” he said of the meeting, which was held in Nawapon and attended by President Cheryl Jensen and representatives of various areas of the College. McLester acknowledged that he did not have all the answers. Instead, he said he hoped that the process of Indigenization would bring everyone together to develop new solutions.

“We are all Indigenous,” he said. “We all come from earth, breathe the same air and share the same future.”


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