Today at noon, Red River College will host a Virtual Indigenous Celebration on Facebook Live to recognize Indigenous students and their accomplishments. The event will be held in lieu of the annual Pow Wow to ensure staff and students maintain social distancing and safety during COVID-19 restrictions.

“RRC’s annual Pow Wow has been a point of pride for the College for nearly 20 years and has been a tremendous way to honour, celebrate and make Indigenous culture more accessible for the College community. Although we are not yet able to be together physically, we still are, and will always be, dedicated to advancing Indigenous achievement and embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being,” says Isabel Bright, Acting Dean, School of Indigenous Education.

“We are excited to create a place online that makes our students feel special, acknowledges their achievements, and holds space for Indigenous culture and teachings.”

The virtual event will feature messages from community leaders and dignitaries, senior leadership, instructors from the School of Indigenous Education, Indigenous Support Staff, and even some special performances that highlight the diversity of Indigenous cultures.

Students of First Nation, Métis and Inuit ancestry were invited to register to be recognized in the Celebration and receive a mailed gift, which includes the Indigenous stole they would have received at Pow Wow.

“It’s really important that we do what we can to help students mark this important moment in their lives,” says Bright. “The RRC Pow Wow is a powerful experience for those of us who work in Indigenous Education because it’s a space where Indigenous culture, knowledge, ceremony and protocol lead.”

“It’s important to show our students that these things hold a high value, and in turn celebrate those values within themselves. It says your achievements matter, and who you are matters. We want to ensure we are doing what we can to help students celebrate important milestones and remind them that they are part of a community.”

Staff are also sharing ways that students can celebrate at home by sharing recipes, tutorials, virtual tours, and social media engagement.

The event will wrap up another year of advancing Indigenous achievement, the first key pillar in the College’s Strategic Plan. Highlights have included the launch of the Indigenous Language certificate program in Cree, commemorating the United Nation’s Year of Indigenous Languages; the launch of a third Pathway Program to grow Indigenous learners into business, digital media, and communications sectors; a new Indigenous mural at the student residences downtown; and the return of the Winter Indigenous Games for the second year in a row.

RRC Virtual Indigenous Celebration
Friday, June 5, 2020 | 12:00 pm
Red River College – Indigenous Education Facebook Page