(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

U of L to create new Indigenous gathering place

Oct 1, 2020 | 2:10 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Indigenous elders and student counsellors will soon have a new facility at the University of Lethbridge.

The permanent Iikaisskini Gathering Place will create supports for Indigenous students, faculty, staff, and community members.

“It was important to open the centre at that time, knowing that it was just the first phase of establishing a permanent home for Iikaisskini,” says Mahon. “We knew from the onset that Iikaisskini needed to be in a central location on campus so that it was accessible to our students. Another key element was that we wanted it to be highly visible to all, acknowledging, respecting and honouring the values, history, customs and culture of the Blackfoot speaking nations on whose territorial lands the University resides.”

A temporary location was opened in 2014 at the Paterson Centre. The new proposed University Hall location, according to Mahon, satisfies those needs.

The Iikaisskini Gathering Place will provide students a place to meet with Elders and share stories, teaching and wisdom. It will be a vibrant and powerful cultural community where Blackfoot and other Indigenous languages are spoken, and where students can explore new knowledge together.

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“Iikaisskini will also serve as a key hub for the University’s Indigenous outreach activities,” says Mahon. “A focus of the EleV program is creating pathways and enhancing access to post-secondary education for prospective Indigenous students. This space will house activities designed to reach out to Blackfoot and other Indigenous elementary, middle school and high school students, showing them the possibilities and benefits of a post-secondary education and enabling them to see themselves in a University environment.”

The ICIP grant will contribute $184,000 toward the relocation of Iikaisskini, which will also serve as the central location for the University’s new partnership with the MasterCard Foundation — EleV.

Read more: $48-million announced to rebuild Red Crow Community College campus after 2015 fire

Another $276,000 will come from TD Bank Financial Group.

These southern Alberta ICIP projects are part of the more than $10 billion infrastructure spending announced as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.

Construction on the space is tentatively scheduled to begin in the summer of 2021.