The Indigenous Learner Success Strategy

The Southern Alberta Institution of Technology (SAIT), has created a strategy for Indigenous students who want to attend post-secondary education.

The Indigenous are commonly less likely to attend post-secondary education than non-indigenous people. For this reason, SAIT has started giving them opportunities for their education with the Indigenous Learner Success Strategy.

Larry Gauthier, who is the coordinator at the Chinook Lodge at SAIT, came up with the Indigenous Learner Success Strategy to help the First Nations with their success starting with their post-secondary education.

“Education is really important and it is the key to success, this is why the Aboriginal deserve to have a post-secondary education because, with post-secondary education, there are higher chances to find important jobs that can make their finances much better,” stated Gauthier.

“The strategy, I believe is our first step towards having an institutional strategy,” Gauthier described, “two years ago we introduced our new educational plan for the institution that says ‘students come first.’”

Gauthier added that The Indigenous Strategy has four priorities which are:

- The access to post-secondary program: This consists of giving Aboriginal students access to post-secondary programs.

- Retention and success: This develops support that helps ensure that the students at SAIT are successful in their program study.

- The community engagement: That it is all about developing strategies aimed at engaging indigenous communities.

- The cultural awareness: is to help the institution develop cultural awareness among its faculty staff and students; therefore, working with the faculty to develop aboriginal content in their courses and invite people to the Lodge to learn more about First Nation culture, the values, the beliefs, etc.

The Indigenous Recruiter at the Chinook Lodge, Allyson Dennehey, mentioned that at the Chinook Lodge they bring elders to start ceremonies for the students and for other people who are interested in learning about the culture.

Dennehey works with communities and for people who are planning on attending school at SAIT, she helps them navigate. She also provides awareness on all the programs at SAIT and all their resources.

According to Dennehey, their main goal with the Indigenous Learner Success Strategy is to help the Indiginous students to raise their grades as they are usually the ones with the lowest grades. They encourage them to do better in school and to help them feel welcome at the institution.

“I think everyone deserves a post-secondary education, it just opens more doors for you and that is why I am working in the Recruitment, because I know the importance of education and it opens a lot of doors,” she stated.

Lyssandra Nothing, a First Nation Journalism student at SAIT, stated that she has learned so much and that she felt welcome at the institution.

“I love going to the Chinook Lodge when I need peace of mind from the chaotic crowds or when I’m stressed,” she said.

She also added that at the Chinook Lodge they have many events and she goes to some of them whenever she’s able. She described everything like “being back home again.”