Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building
The UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), in partnership with UFV Continuing Education, the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal Council, the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, and the Stó:lō Grand Chief’s Council, has launched a collaborative program initiative: Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building. This program seeks to help build people’s capacity for reconciliation-building by teaching the importance of authentic allyship and providing skills for building relationships between colonial settlers and Indigenous communities here in the Fraser Valley and beyond.
The program
2024 REGISTRATION
Tier one - closed
Tier two - Delayed until September 2024
The Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building program offers the opportunity for participants to developed a deeper understanding of what it means to be an ally and how to embrace the goal of being in a constant state of learning and unlearning, relationship building, and transformative action.
Topics that will be covered in the program include, but are not limited to, Lands and Resources, Settler Colonialism, Governance, Assimilation and Residential Schools, and Culture and Spirituality.
TIER ONE (ARB T1)
The 2024 TIER ONE program will run from January 18 to December 19. It will consist of a mixture of presentations (3rd Thursday of each month - no August sessions), workshops, and hands-on land-based learning opportunities, where participants will be guided in developing the knowledge and empathy necessary for becoming effective and respectful allies to local Indigenous communities.
Among the elective workshops will be drum making, cedar bark weaving, Placename tours, introductions to the Halq'eméylem language, and other land-based learning experiences. To note, optional sessions may have additional cost.
Program cost: $260