South America Archives - Global Engagement

91��ɫ celebrates 2026 Mitacs Research Internees

amaav — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:02:28 +0000

Every year, 91��ɫ welcomes talented undergraduate students from around the world to work alongside our faculty researchers on innovative projects across a wide range of disciplines through the .

The program offers the opportunity for top quality undergraduate researchers in partner countries to come to Canada for 12-week internships that allow them to learn from Canada's top scholars and expand their global professional ties in preparation for future careers.

This past year in 2026, 91��ɫ was proud to host a record of 61 GRI students ranging from Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Taiwan, Tunisia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. To celebrate their accomplishments, 91��ɫ International hosted the annual Mitacs GRI Research Fair, where interns showcase their research, connect with peers, faculty members, and the 91��ɫ community.

This year, dozen of GRI researchers showcased their projects spanning methods to combat climate change and solve systemic health inequities. Congratulations to the 91��ɫ GRI Class of 2026!

Thank you to Vice President, Research & Innovation Amir Asif, Dean of Graduate Studies Alice MacLachlan, AVP Global Douglas Proctor, and Ashley Laracy for their welcoming words as well as the 91��ɫ International team for organizing this important celebration.

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91��ɫ welcomes Universidad de Los Andes

amaav — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:21:01 +0000

We were delighted to welcome Jimena Hurtado, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Universidad de Los Andes (UniAndes) to 91��ɫ last week.

Her visit provided a valuable opportunity to explore strategic collaboration in areas such as internationalization, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The conversation also highlighted promising avenues with Glendon Campus of 91��ɫ | Campus Glendon de l’Université 91��ɫ including its bilingual profile, dual degree programs, and shared interests in the social sciences, international affairs, and interdisciplinary research.

Thank you, Prof. Hurtado, for an insightful and productive visit. We look forward to advancing our collaboration with UniAndes across Canada–Latin America and through the .

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President Rhonda Lenton welcomes international students to 91��ɫ

amaav — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:41:00 +0000

By Gloria Suhasini

New and returning students enjoy a meet and greet with the University president, foreign diplomats and peers

“From the very first day I stepped on the 91��ɫ campus, what I found most appealing was the mix of students from all over the world! This led to new friendships and connections which continue to make my university experience even more rewarding.” said Damor McQueen, a fourth-year political science student from Jamaica, speaking at the President’s International Student Reception on September 25.

The Student Success Mentor Lead in the Black Excellence at 91��ɫ program urged his peers to build new connections and get involved in academic and extracurricular activities to make the be best of “this once in a lifetime opportunity being presented to you.” He cited his own experience volunteering last year at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences hosted by 91��ɫ that led to his current work/study student opportunity.

President Rhonda Lenton with recipients of the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence, awarded to high school applicants around the world, who are entering their first year of a four-year undergraduate degree at the university

91��ɫ continues to attract students like McQueen from around the world, who join the community with great enthusiasm to receive worldclass education — often work-integrated — in their chosen field, be that in the arts, science, technology or engineering.

To make high quality university education accessible, 91��ɫ offers several . One such scholarship is the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence, awarded to high school applicants around the world, who are entering their first year of a four-year undergraduate degree at the university. Another scholarship popular among international students is the Tentanda Via Award. Named after 91��ɫ’s motto “The Way Must Be Tried,” it assists undergraduate students who have demonstrated resilience in overcoming significant personal barriers in the pursuit of a university education and progressive changemakers committed to sustainable development.

Other scholarships available for international students include Daughters for Life, the Global Leader of Tomorrow Award, and Mitacs Internships and Awards. Several attended the president's reception. For additional information, students are encouraged to visit 91��ɫ’s Global Engagement��ɱ��ٱ�.

“While it is our intention to support you in your academic journey, you also bring a wealth of insights and strengths to 91��ɫ," President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton told the student audiences. “We are thrilled that you chose us, and we look forward to what we will accomplish together. Please remember that nothing is more important than your well-being and health and we have many student services to support you.”

The event organized by was also attended by China’s Education Counsels Renzhu Li and Wenjin Han; India’s Consul (Commerce & Political) Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh; and the Philippine Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate and Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague.

These diplomatic representatives to Canada were not only present to celebrate their respective country’s highly talented students, but also to assure support in their new country of temporary residence. “We wish them the very best in their courses of study,” said Singh. “The Indian Consulate remains at disposal for welfare and well-being of all Indian international students in Canada.”

Philippine Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate, second from left, and Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague, right, were among the foreign diplomats in attendance

Diplomats were also on hand to speak to the students during the networking hour, a rare opportunity for these outstanding future leaders of the world.

By the end of the event, it was evident that many students had forged enriching new friendships that could last a lifetime, while advancing their education and career aspirations.

Originally published in News@91��ɫ.

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91��ɫ’s membership in CALAREO, a hemispheric consortium, begins to blossom

amaav — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 20:57:00 +0000

By Elaine Smith

Although he knew little Spanish, Adam Hallag, a fourth-year 91��ɫ electrical engineering student, jumped at the opportunity to spend a couple of months this summer as a research intern at the Universidad Tecnólgica San Juan del Rio in Mexico’s state of Querétaro.

“I wanted to have a professional opportunity to add to my resume,” said Hallag. “Once you graduate, it’s harder to get a job without some work related to your field.

“When this opportunity from (Canadian and Latin American Research and Exchange Opportunities consortium) came through, I took it as an opportunity to go abroad to get experience while learning about another culture.”
While there, he is immersed in a project to develop the design for a closed-loop solar tracking system that uses sensor technology to adjust solar panels so that the sun rays are orthogonal to the panel, which is where maximum power is attained.

“It has been challenging, combining the work with learning Spanish and travelling alone for the first time,” said Hallag, “but I’ve learned a lot of hard and soft skills.”

Hallag is one of the first 91��ɫ students to take advantage of the global research opportunities provided by CALAREO.

91��ɫ membership in a consortium that includes other Canadian institutions – Carleton University, Lakehead University (secretariat), Memorial University and Vancouver Island University – meant signing a Memorandum of Understanding that commits 91��ɫ to facilitating and increasing student mobility, building and strengthening relations in strategic research areas, and encouraging co-operation that results in national and international grants to enhance research collaborations and training of students.

CALAREO also received funding from the federal fund, providing financial support that allows Canadian students who are Indigenous, low-income or have a disability to participate in these global learning opportunities, whether field study or research. In addition, CALAREO partners with Mitacs to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake research abroad.

91��ɫ has already taken advantage of this funding. During Reading Week in February, Alejandro Zamora, associate professor of Hispanic studies at Glendon College, led a group of 11 students to Colombia for field study as part of a course in Hispanic geopoetics; nine of the students were funded through CALAREO.

The trip, organized in collaboration with the University of Magdalena in Santa Marta, focused on the work of Gabriel Garcia Márquez, the Nobel Prize-winning poet and author who drew inspiration from the region. Students had the opportunity to work in partnership with their Colombian counterparts and become involved in community projects.

Membership in CALAREO provides 91��ɫ with another avenue to broaden its scope internationally – an initiative the University is actively pursuing – as demonstrated by the University Academic Plan’s commitment to advancing global engagement and its new Internationalization and Global Engagement Strategy.

The consortium currently has partnerships with Mitacs, Colombia, CONACYT (Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology) and the Mexican state of Querétaro. As 91��ɫ’s engagement with CALAREO grows, the University will aim to increase the diversity of these partnerships; certainly, collaborative opportunities abound, if a recent trip to Brazil by 91��ɫ International (YI) team members is any indication.

In April, Helen Balderama, YI’s director of global engagement programs and partnerships, and Recep Demir, global partnerships manager, attended FAUBAI, the largest higher education conference in Latin America as part of a CALAREO delegation. Over a five-day period, the pair met with about 30 Brazilian institutions to explore new opportunities for collaboration and reciprocity.

“We have so many commonalities and explored possibilities for collaboration,” said Demir. “There was considerable interest in the , and (GNL).

“CALAREO opened doors for us and we’re glad we came.”

Vinitha Gengatharan, assistant vice-president, global engagement and partnerships, said, “91��ɫ’s increasing engagement with CALAREO is another step toward increasing 91��ɫ’s student and scholars’ engagement and impact in Latin America. We anticipate that membership in the consortium will be fruitful and mutually beneficial for all of the partners involved.”

Those interested in learning more about CALAREO or other ways to engage or advance your international and global priorities can contact Balderama at helencb@yorku.ca.

Originally published in YFile.

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91��ɫ students learn side-by-side with Colombian classmates

amaav — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:46:00 +0000

By Elaine Smith

Students are easily tempted by courses that include a trip abroad as part of the curriculum, but Hispanic Geopoetics: Geography, Literature, Identity, taught by Alejandro Zamora, offered an extra treat: classmates from the Universidad del Magdalena (UniMag) in the Colombian Caribbean region of the course’s field study.

Zamora, an associate professor of Hispanic studies at Glendon College, 91��ɫ, has taught the course previously, but the 2023 edition became a joint venture, thanks to the use of a Hyflex classroom that allowed students to participate regardless of location. Throughout the winter semester, the 12 91��ɫ students and eight UniMag students participated together in class discussions, class projects and assignments. By the time the field visit to Colombia came around, the classmates were fast friends.

“This was the first time we had a component as part of the course and it was fantastic,” Zamora said. “The Colombian students could enrol, attend via Zoom and get course credits.” GNL is an approach to teaching, learning and research that enables students, faculty and non-academic researchers from different locations around the world to participate in, and collaborate on, knowledge-making processes and concrete research projects.

“From day one, I constantly ensured that both sets of students interacted through group work and assignments and it made a real difference when we visited Colombia; relationships and joint projects were already established.”

Geopoetics is a critical approach that investigates the relationships between literature, geography and natural and built environments; how literature can enrich understanding of a place or a territory, and vice versa. Zamora’s course explores One Hundred Years of Solitude, the influential novel written by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez.

“This novel is deeply rooted in the Colombian Caribbean, and is also a synthesis of various regions,” said Zamora. “This course is a unique opportunity to study this novel in relation to the place that infuses its pages and language.”

As part of the Spanish program at Glendon, the course is taught in Spanish and has intermediate Spanish as a prerequisite. Students outside the program have the option of reading the novel in English or French, but still need the ability to converse in Spanish. In addition to Glendon students, it draws students from various Faculties on the Keele Campus.

During Reading Week, the 91��ɫ students travelled with Zamora to Colombia to meet their classmates and visit many of the locations depicted in the book, starting and ending in Santa Marta.

“There was full immersion on both sides,” Zamora said. “We travelled, visited sites and museums together, had meals together and learned about each other’s cultures. The students had meaningful conversations well beyond the scope of the course. What we experienced there surpassed expectations.

“In addition, the trip brought the book to life. We explored the villages and the local narratives that inspired the novel. In order to get a real sense of the history and political struggles of the region, you need to be there, talk to the people, and feel it. As one of my Colombian students put it: ‘We were reading the novel with our five senses.’” Students also got the opportunity to interact with local faculty and artists, “who were decisive to the success of the field trip.”

Two of the 91��ɫ students in the course agreed that the trip and the involvement of Colombian classmates offered invaluable insights into the book.

“It’s a tough read,” said Diego Pereira, a second-year Glendon psychology major who is originally from Brazil, “but I understand things better and everything is clearer after the trip and being where Marquez got his inspiration.”

Nicole Davis, a fifth-year Glendon student is majoring in political science with a minor in Spanish.

“Being in Colombia helped provide a clearer picture of the book and why the geography is so important,” she said. “It’s a great mix of fact and fiction and it probably couldn’t have happened elsewhere.”

They couldn’t say enough about the joys of learning side-by-side with classmates from another culture and the opportunity to travel with them.

“All the students from Colombia enriched the experience and made a difference,” said Pereira. “Examples from their lives helped illustrate the book.”

Davis added, “I really only knew two people going into the course and I cried the last day. It was a really good group and we built the type of relationships where if we haven’t spoken for years and message each other, the bond will be there.

“I’m also really grateful for the Global Skills Opportunity (through CALAREO) bursary that let me go on the trip. I’d never been to South America and I was able to confront all the stereotypes and biases you see in the media and meet all these wonderful people. I didn’t expect a school trip to be the most amazing trip I’ve ever gone on.”

For information on faculty-led programs and GNL project collaborations connect with 91��ɫ International helencb@yorku.ca and swhlam@yorku.ca.

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Children's health course tackles SDGs with an assist from globally networked learning

donan — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:25:00 +0000

Collaborating with students from Ecuador on a class project was an eye-opening experience for Danielle Legerman, a fourth-year student in 91��ɫ’s Children, Childhood and Youth Studies (CCY) program and president of the new United Future Teachers’ Association.

“It was the first opportunity I had for in university and it was exciting,” said Legerman. “I thought it would be tricky building rapport online with someone across the globe, because it’s always difficult meeting someone new, but we clicked almost instantly, perhaps because we had a common goal (the project).”

Pairing 91��ɫ students with students from Universidad San Francisco de Quito in her course Children’s Health and Quality of Life: A Rights-based Perspective was the work of Cheryl van Daalen-Smith, associate professor in the CCY program, supported by the GNL team within 91��ɫ International.

“This course offers a good opportunity for intercultural dialogue through globally networked learning, because children’s health is affected by decisions made globally and thus wholly affiliated with the ," van Daalen-Smith said. "In this popular elective in CCY, we look at the and what creates quality of life in relation to the , something that most countries have officially signed.” By enabling discussion about the same issues for children in another country, such as Ecuador, students gain the ability to understand how health is a human right for children.

Supported by the GNL team, van Daalen-Smith was partnered with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, connecting with a professor who was teaching a service-learning course that was focused on giving back to the community.

“They weren’t focused specifically on children’s health, although they were concerned about child poverty, but they were sold by the opportunity to discuss the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a key strategy in service learning in Ecuador. They were excited about the possibility of facilitating intercultural dialogue and meeting students and professors from another country.

United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals infographic

“We agreed that we’d each do a lecture in each other’s class and have the students work together in groups to explore an SDG of choice in order to understand its relevance to children’s health and children’s rights. It fit perfectly with 91��ɫ’s University Academic Plan, which in part invites faculty, programs and students to find ways to pursue meaningful engagement and impact on the SDGs as a university.”

While van Daalen-Smith taught the social determinants of health, the SDGs and children’s rights to the Ecuadorean students remotely, Universidad San Francisco de Quito Professor Karla Diaz discussed child health inequities in Ecuador with the 91��ɫ students, even bringing them to a simulated village to illustrate how some children in Ecuador live. Meanwhile, the students worked online in groups of two or three to examine an SDG in depth, examining the link between them, children’s health and the social determinants of health in each country.

Over the course of a few weeks, the students spent time conversing and sharing information, discussing the issue and relevant statistics, determining how their chosen SDG affected children. They each were asked to prepare an infographic reflecting the impact of the SDG, whether in their own country or comparing both countries, and they each presented them to their own class.

“The students all wished we could have more synchronous time and, moving forward, I would ensure these synchronous group meetings are scheduled ahead of time in one another’s syllabus,” van Daalen-Smith said. “Our respective courses only overlapped for a few weeks because of different semester start dates, so we only scratched the surface in terms of intercultural discussion, but we saw that the major health threats to children in each country were very different. In Canada, they included injuries, poor mental health, child abuse, poverty, food insecurity, physical inactivity, bullying, vaccine-preventable illness and discrimination. In Ecuador, the concerns were sexual abuse, food insecurity and poverty. What jarred both myself and Dr. Diaz was that in both countries, Indigenous children were faring the worst in terms of health outcomes, quality of life and poverty.”

Legerman’s group focused on reducing inequality (SDG No. 10) and “there was lots to talk about," she said. "It was great to have an in-depth conversation with a partner across the globe. We realized how many differences there were in our countries’ health policies for kids.”

As she continues on to teachers college in 2022, Legerman plans to look for opportunities to build globally networked learning into the courses that she, herself, teaches.

Her classmate, Iffat Shah, a third-year CCY major, had never heard of GNL before taking this course, but said she hopes there are more opportunities in her future. “It’s a great way to get insight into the rest of the world and learn about the health and rights of children in a part of the world where you’ve never been.”

Shah and her group focused on SDG No. 16, peace and social justice for children, and she enjoyed the research, the discussions with students in Ecuador and learning from her classmates’ presentations on their own SDGs.

“Everyone is used to being online, and it’s great that in my own house, I can see remotely what is happening in other countries,” she said.

“I’m sold, totally sold, on GNL," said van Daalen-Smith. "When you have two committed professors, students get excited about talking to others around the world. And the SDGs are a perfect fit for globalizing our classrooms at 91��ɫ.”

She is working on integrating GNL into her upcoming PhD courses in nursing and in gender, feminist and women’s studies this coming year. Van Daalen-Smith and Diaz, her Ecuadorean colleague who is now a friend, are already planning to work together again next summer.

“We’re looking at what we’d do the same and what we’d do differently, while continuing to unpack the SDGs and their relevance for children,” she said. “She’s awesome, and I’m excited about it. What made this all possible was that the level of support we received from the GNL team at 91��ɫ International was second to none. I highly recommend GNL to my colleagues at 91��ɫ and look forward to faculty colleagues reaching out if they are as intrigued with the prospect of GNL as I was. Pedagogically, it is a real game-changer.”

By Elaine Smith, special contributor

Originally published in YFile

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Indigenous students shine online in virtual pilot program

donan — Wed, 12 May 2021 18:50:00 +0000

When Jennifer Rokaya Sedgewick wears beaded earrings, she’s making a statement about resistance to colonial norms and making herself visible as an Indigenous woman. In fact, the 91��ɫ PhD student has largely decolonized her wardrobe, ensuring that her clothing choices reflect her identity.

“Eurocentric norms dictate proper appearance,” said Sedgewick, who is Métis. “Fashion is resistance.”

Sedgewick’s thoughts about the statements fashion can make were only one of the explorations of Indigenous cultures, languages, spiritualities, and histories that came to life online April 7 as students from Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Philippines presented their final projects for the International Indigenous Student Exchange Program. This eight-week virtual pilot program brought together 16 Indigenous students from various countries and communities to learn about their commonalities and differences.

Pictured above: Consuelo Fernández-Salvador (top-left), associate professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador; C. Elizabeth Best (top-right), Métis, 91��ɫ; Jennifer Sedgewick (bottom-left), Métis, 91��ɫ; and, Sara Fuentes Maldonado (bottom right), Kichwa-Otavalo, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

The program, funded by a grant from the Canada Outbound Student Mobility Innovation Fund and 91��ɫ International, was created by a team at 91��ɫ in partnership with four other universities: Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, Universidad de San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, the University of Costa Rica, and the University of the Philippines. Students attended weekly online talks and lectures together and also worked in groups to investigate topics of interest to them in more depth.

At the April 7 event, Randy Pitawanakwat, manager, Indigenous student services at 91��ɫ’s Centre for Aboriginal Student Services (CASS), offered an opening prayer, followed by welcomes from Lisa Phillips, provost and vice-president academic, and Lily Cho, associate dean of global and community engagement for 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Then, it was on to student presentations, moderated by Professor Carolyn Podruchny, the course director, and Breanna Berry, Indigenous Recruitment Officer with CASS, and program facilitator.

Students Ángel Solis (Tsotsil), Caleb Wesley (Cree) and Felipe Bañez (Boruca) talked about how technology can help to keep Indigenous languages alive by making resources available online. These websites and social media sites become preservation resources, as well as empowerment tools.

“With social media we are able to collaborate and share resources and content,” said Wesley.

For their project, Quenses Quela (Ibaloi), Christina Da Costa (First Nations) and Amy House (Inuk and Mi’kmaw) created , a comprehensive timeline of the dispossessions of land Indigenous peoples have faced at the hands of Canadian and Filipino governments between 1900 and 2020.

“Land displacement directly caused by colonialism is an ongoing process and an issue for Indigenous people worldwide,” said House.

She and her peers cited numerous incidents including the High Artic relocation of 92 Inuit in 1953 and 1955, which “was portrayed as humanitarian by the government but actually extended their borders of control.”

Da Costa also pointed to the hundreds of boil water advisories that are still in place on reserves across Canada, despite the federal government’s promise to make them unnecessary by 2020.

“Many people on reserves live in Third World conditions due to greed,” she said.

Focusing on Indigenous languages, Samay Ainaguano Baltazar (Quichwa-Chibuleo), Aleria Mckay (Haudenosaunee and Teme Augama Anishnabai) and Rosalyn González (Boruca) each interviewed speakers of their own Indigenous languages – Kichwa, Anishinaabemowin, and Boruca – to research language revitalization.

“Many of us are working hard to learn was has been lost,” Mckay said.

Professor Gabrielle Fletcher of Deakin University in Australia noted that often, efforts to rescue languages are community driven. “Language reclamation is a political act and one of preservation, not only of language but of world views and cultures,” Fletcher said.

Elizabeth Best&�Բ��;(��é�پ��),&�Բ��;Sara Fuentes (Quichwa-Otavalo) and Jennifer Sedgewick (Métis) joined together to create an e-zine called Disrupting the Colonization of Everyday Life that offered tales of personal struggle and individual and community resistance in the face of colonialism, whether subtle or overt.

In the publication, complementing Sedgewick’s efforts to “decolonize her closet,” Best displayed her beadwork, created by traditional techniques, and focused on everyday acts of resistance to colonialism.

“My existence and my art are my resistance,” Best said. “Resistance is finding ways to serve my community and finding happiness to replace my trauma and hurt.”

Fuentes told the story of women in her community, including her grandmother, who bodily resisted efforts to divert the community’s water source. Their resistance manifested their three main values: “with one collective hand, one heart and one mindset.”

“I admire all of the bravery and vulnerability you bring to this project,” Berry told the team. “Our existence and our continuation of practices unique to our Indigenous nations are our resistance, resilience and resurgence.”

The final group of students examined whether there was a place for spirituality in Western academy. Jandrea Rose Oddoc (Kalinga), Jen Bolton (Anishinaabe) and Emma Litschko (Mi’kmaq) expressed concern that often Indigenous spirituality is reduced to spectacle, rather than taken seriously or seen as intellectual.

“Academics separate themselves from their work, but as Indigenous people, we are mentally, emotionally and spiritually involved in our work,” Litschko noted.

Drawing on Indigenous stories, the team noted, keeps them grounded, focused on their goal and provides the moral values that guide them through academia.”

The program was meaningful to the faculty and staff involved, as well as the students.

Professor Michael Hill of Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, said, "Indigenous communities and knowledges are certainly often localized, but there are scarce opportunities in the academy to also transnationalize and globalize Indigeneity in ways that allow Indigenous students themselves to share their perspectives across local, national, or regional boundaries. This program, however, disrupted that pattern and provided all of us, and especially the students, with a safe space in which we could come to know one another better and appreciate both the shared challenges facing Indigenous peoples as well as unique Indigenous histories.”

Professor Leah Abayao from the University of the Philippines, said, "For me, the program provided explorations and critical reflections on Indigeneity. The workshops and the Knowledge Fair elevated discussions into discoveries of deep Indigenous spiritualities and the desire to change the conventional restrictive platforms into enabling spaces where one can think and act with respect and cultural empathy, and allow students to build resilience in becoming Indigenous intellectuals".

Podruchny, the course director, said “I feel lucky to be involved and humbled by the students.” Given the success of the program, she added that the group is planning to offer the program this fall, with the addition of Deakin University in Australia to the mix. They are also exploring opportunities for in-person connections once the pandemic related travel restrictions are lifted.

In closing, Vinitha Gengatharan, executive director of 91��ɫ International shared how grateful she is for the trust, generosity and commitment of the students and faculty who took part in the pilot initiative. “We need to continue to co-create more spaces for reflection, healing, empowerment, and connections to place and community and continually be willing to challenge the power dynamics, our curriculum and structures. We are committed to continuing the work and to expand this pilot initiative,” said Gengatharan.

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer, 91��ɫ International

Originally published in YFile

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Virtual Indigenous Student Exchange Program a hit with participants

donan — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 18:50:00 +0000

Students and faculty alike are applauding the Indigenous Student Exchange Program, an eight-week pilot program that will end with a virtual of cross-cultural and transnational learning on April 7.

“It has been incredible to see the students engage with the program, take charge of the subject matter and generously share their Indigenous knowledge and heritage. The success of the program speaks to the importance of creating these safe collaborative spaces for Indigenous voices in post-secondary education” said Breanna Berry, Indigenous recruitment officer, CASS representative and program facilitator.

The program has brought together Indigenous students from 91��ɫ and four partner institutions (Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, Universidad de San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, the University of Costa Rica, and the University of the Philippines) for weekly facilitated online workshops about topics relevant to the varying experiences of Indigenous people, such as spirituality, knowledge, language, land, and identity. Faculty from partner universities have shared their own expertise, as have guest lecturers, including an Indigenous Elder and Knowledge Keepers.

In addition, the students are working in pairs or small groups with students from other countries to explore one of these topics, creating a film, video, podcast, website, artwork, or essay to reflect what they’ve learned and how they have related to the program. These works will be showcased at the .

“The most exciting thing for me is to see the students connect with one another, get to know each other, and learn about how they experience their Indigeneity in their local setting,” said Professor Carolyn Podruchny, the course director.

Emma Litschko, a Mi’kmaq Indigenous studies student at 91��ɫ, says she’s “so happy I did this. It’s probably the best course I’ve ever taken. I’m getting a whole-world perspective on Indigeneity.”

She is working on a spirituality project in conjunction with another 91��ɫ student and one from the Philippines. Each of them will tell an Indigenous story from their community that offers different teachings.

“We’re looking at how Indigenous knowledge can be used to further academic knowledge, showing new perspectives,” Litschko said. “My tale is about the Horned Serpent and how ego and pride can make others feel worthless.”

Until participating in the program, Litschko says she had scant knowledge of Indigenous communities worldwide and is amazed at how many similarities there are in how they experience global issues, such as the impact of resource extraction.

Sara Fuentes Maldonado, a Kichwa-Otavalo student from Ecuador, said “It has been a dream of mine to connect with Indigenous people around the globe. We have historical similarities, but we all have identities that make us unique. It’s important to have a network of Indigenous peoples. We’re expanding our knowledge of who we are and this empowers us to speak up for issues that matter to us.”

At 91��ɫ, Caleb Wesley, a Cree student from Northern Ontario, says the program meshes nicely with his Global Indigenous Histories course, also taught by Podruchny.

“This program is furthering my learning in a very unique way,” Wesley said. “Everyone’s context is so vastly different, but we share experiences as well. It grounds my theoretical learning in reality.”

He is working with students from Mexico and Costa Rica on a group project focused on education.

“We’re all educators within our own communities and we’re looking at specific classroom strategies and interventions to promote Indigenous culture. We want to bring two knowledge systems together.”

The program has been an eye-opener for Jandrea Rose Oddoc, a Kalinga and Igorot student from the Philippines, both in terms of broadening her worldview and in gaining new respect for her tribe’s traditions.

“I saw my grandfather’s belief in spirits as superstitious before, but now I understand and respect it as culturally important,” Oddoc said.

In a post-pandemic world, the team would love to bring the students together face-to-face, but they are delighted by the success of the virtual version of the program.

Professor Letitia Neria from Tec de Monterrey, one of the facilitators, says it’s important for students to have a space where they can speak about their identities and learn about the experiences of other Indigenous peoples.

“In Mexico, we had a different type of colonization; the Indigenous community was dispossessed economically, not geographically, but both directions are wrong,” said Neria, a professor of cultural studies and Spanish. “Although they were able to continue their community practices, they were forgotten and many live in terrible conditions with no access to services.

“We have students from the Indigenous community who could benefit from these programs and bring something valuable to the workshops.”

Professor Consuelo Fernández-Salvador, an anthropology professor from Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, was a facilitator for the session on land, cultures, and identities.

“This exchange program is a great space and opportunity for both students and faculty, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to share local histories, knowledge and cultural practices, and rituals and appreciate the richness of Indigenous cultures all over the world,” said Fernández-Salvador. “But I also think it is a great space to reflect on colonialism and social injustice. More than anything, the common thread between different Indigenous groups is that they have had to deal with colonial powers that have attempted to invalidate and destroy much of that cultural and linguistic diversity.”

The exchange program was funded by the Canadian federal government-sponsored . It was organized by Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, the Centre for Aboriginal Student Services (CASS), and 91��ɫ International.

“This exchange program brilliantly encapsulates how Indigenization is a crucial part of internationalization,” said Lily Cho, associate dean, global engagement at LA&PS.

Helen Balderama, associate director, international partnerships and programs, 91��ɫ International, added, “We are delighted to see our 91��ɫ students forging bonds, both with each other and with other Indigenous students worldwide, while sharing the richness of their cultures and broadening their worldviews. We learned a lot from this pilot and will be sharing many of those lessons and incorporating them as we plan for the next version of the program.”

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer, 91��ɫ International

Originally published in YFile

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