Phone: 250.746.3509
We are here to support students of Native ancestry in making a successful transition to Vancouver Island University and to enable students to succeed in their academic endeavors by providing direct services and appropriate referrals. Students enrolled at the Cowichan campus also have the added support and wisdom of our Elders-in-Residence.
Educational Support Services
- assist new students with timetabling and registration
- listen to and provide support to students with academic or personal concerns
- liaise with bands, tribal councils, students, faculty, elders, departments within Vancouver Island University as well as other post-secondary institutions
- provide information about First Nations bursaries and scholarships, student loans, and sponsor funding for Status and Métis students
- assist out-of-town students to find accommodation and daycare
- promote cultural, recreational, and social activities in partnership with First Nations students
- provide academic learning support, career planning, and employment information
Counselling
Counselling is available on any personal issue a student may wish to receive support for. Common issues can include depression, anxiety, grief and loss, challenges in completing goals, trauma, and addictions.
Elders-in-Residence
Drop-in Hours
To Be Announced
Events
Moose Hide Campaign
The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men who are standing up against violence towards women and children.
Wearing a moose hide square signifies your commitment to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life and to work together with other men to end violence against women and children.
KAIROS Blanket Exercise: A Workshop in Reconciliation
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise explores the history of Canada from an Indigenous perspective.
The exercise uses blankets to represent the lands of what is now called Canada, and the distinct cultures and nations which live on those lands to this day. Participants represent the First Peoples; when they move onto the blankets, they are taken back in time to the arrival of the Europeans. The Narrator and facilitators will work with the participants to read a script while the exercise goes through the history of treaty-making colonization and resistance that resulted in the nation we today call Canada.