Community Learning and University Policy: An Inner-City University Goes Back to School

Abstract

For at least a decade now, the University of Winnipeg (U of W), an urban institution on Treaty One land in the heart of the Métis Nation, has challenged existing academic models and practices, and has incorporated strategies that address the social divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in order to more effectively serve the learning needs of its surrounding community. This article demonstrates how an inner-city university has used internal policies and programs to help support the self-determination of Indigenous peoples. Six community learning initiatives were recently evaluated for impact. This article will provide an overview of the positive outcomes of these learning initiatives on a community of underrepresented learners.

Indigenizing Work as “willful work”: Toward Indigenous Transgressive Leadership in Canadian Universities

“…This discourse tends to recognize the Euro-Western foundation and nature of higher educational systems and advocate for system-wide reform including curriculum, pedagogy, policy and governance changes that privilege Indigenous voices and agency (Minthorn & Chavez, 2015;Pidgeon, 2016). In the scholarship, there are also calls for Indigenous community engagement (Axworthy et al, 2016) and the centering of Indigenous theoretical and methodological approaches (Battiste, 2017) in Indigenizing practices.…”

How can community-university engagement address family violence prevention? One child at a time.

“…Although outside the scope of their usual mandates, another question raised is how post-secondary institutions can become instruments of empowerment for Indigenous families. Universities and other post-secondary institutions have an immense ability to use their resources and infrastructure to extend a reach into their communities and, through a variety of partnerships, to have an impact on the learning experiences of many children, youth, and families beyond the conventional structures of university programming (Axworthy, DeRiviere, and Rattray 2016). Here again, we draw from the peace-building literature, particularly Lederach's (2005) suggestion that institutions need to embrace their own capacity for creating alternatives to our deepest-rooted societal grievances.…”

“…For example, a workshop series focused on women's empowerment and personal safety, and it taught them how to assert themselves and express their viewpoints in group situations. Coaching, mentoring and role modeling Mino Bimaadiziwin-or the good life, which involves developing positive relationships and team building-and keeping busy with relevant learning activities were some of the various methods used to help participants offset boredom, and thus reduce the likelihood of engaging in high-risk activities (Axworthy, DeRiviere, and Rattray 2016).…”

“…The school has been developed as part of the university's community learning mandate to eliminate barriers to education, and in order to realize this goal, the University of Winnipeg provides underrepresented students with an opportunity to attend the university's Collegiate High School at no financial cost to their families, as well as awarding Opportunity Fund bursaries for their post-secondary studies. The school takes a holistic approach to its programming and uses individualized academic plans that identify and address the unique challenges faced by each student while providing an intensive support structure to help students overcome these challenges in achieving academic success (Axworthy, DeRiviere, and Rattray 2016).…”

“…Although the programs that resulted from these policies have positively affected hundreds of students and their families, they are only models that need to be brought to scale to meet the enormity of the task (Axworthy, DeRiviere, and Rattray 2016). The following sections discuss the four aforementioned interventions and how their successes can inform changes in the public school system that will increase engagement among Indigenous youth.…”