Almost from the very beginning, Royal Roads has been involved with a variety of Indigenous community and organization partnership programs.
BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
An early partnership with the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres offered Indigenous participants an introduction to information technology at a time when the university was also offering Microsoft certifications and other digital technologies programs.
Centre for Non-Timber Resources / Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology
The Centre for Non-Timber Resources was the next initiative that engaged with Indigenous Peoples and communities, evolving into the Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology, directed by Brian Belcher, who is now Professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Ashoka Research Chair. Tim Brigham, now Learning and Development Advisor in Professional and Continuing Studies, was a member of these teams and continues to develop Indigenous community partnerships in his current role.
Yekooche First Nation
From 2006 to 2008, then Royal Roads employee Wendy Drummond collaborated with the Yekooche First Nation on a learning centre project. Yekooche First Nation is a community of approximately 120 people, located about 85 km northwest of Fort St. James, BC. Wendy spent time living in the community and building relationships with the people there, ultimately resulting in having the community take over the learning centre.
Professional and Continuing Studies Community Partnership Projects
Numerous grant-funded and organization-sponsored projects with Indigenous communities have been undertaken over the years through Professional and Continuing Studies.
- Native plant propagation and environmental restoration — Working with Indigenous communities and mining industry partners, Royal Roads developed in-community training programs focused on native plant propagation and environmental restoration. These programs were successfully piloted in 2013 in communities of northeast and southeast BC (Saulteau, West Moberly and Ktu’naxa Nations) and have since been offered in partnership with the Tsawout, Scia'new, Kitselas and Lax Kw'alaams communities
- Certificate in Cultural and Natural Resources Assessment through the Aboriginal Community-Based Training Partnership program — In 2018–19, in partnership with the Kitselas and Haisla Nations in NW BC, Professional and Continuing Studies delivered the Certificate in Cultural and Natural Resources Assessment through the Aboriginal Community-Based Training Partnership program. These were the first deliveries of for-credit programming by PCS for Indigenous students.
- Professional Project Administrator program with Métis Nation BC — In 2020, in partnership with Métis Nation BC, PCS launched the online Professional Project Administrator program to deliver a mix of credit and non-credit courses for 60 Métis students to prepare them for jobs in a high-demand sector of the economy.
- First Nations Technology Council — Royal Roads University also partners with First Nations Technology Council to support the delivery of a range of technology-focused programs.
Contact
Email Tim Brigham, learning development advisor with Professional and Continuing Studies, to discuss a potential program partnership.