Indigenous People's Programming

Are you ready to get crafty with Indigenous traditions for 21st century learning? Learn to bridge brilliant craft traditions with STEAM literacies through Indigenous-led maker programs.

In 2019, Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) launched their makerspace, the Creativity Commons, to the public. Dalia built alliances with local stakeholders such as Indigenous artists, makers, and community members interested in cultivating a reclamation of culture through the library makerspace.

Through an Indigenous-led approach to program delivery, libraries can better amplify Indigenous voices in a reconciliatory manner. This not only offers those of Indigenous ancestry the opportunity to learn about their cultural traditions that were outlawed previously in Canada, but encourages a wider audience of community members to learn about pre-colonial traditions and connect with the local Indigenous community in the hands-on process.

Bridging the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities through DIY making empowers life-long learners to celebrate equity, diversity and inclusion, and decolonizes state-funded spaces that have historically excluded Indigenous knowledge-keepers and voices.

Come learn how library makerspaces coupled with sound, culturally appropriate, outreach practices can preserve and pass on traditional knowledge for generations to come and build lasting community partnerships. Simultaneously, we can impart hands-on STEAM-based literacies that foster 21st century learning and welcoming makerspaces for renewed success!

In 2017 the West Vancouver Memorial Library received a Canada 150 Community Fund grant to plan and implement activities to share and promote an understanding of Canadian and local history as a way to encourage conversations about reconciliation. Honouring Reconciliation: Hearing the Truth consisted of Reading Circles, an educational exhibit, a film series and a panel discussion. It was clear from the beginning that planning this initiative was different from our usual program planning. The planning team members grappled with a number of questions. How do we create meaningful events when our processes and deadlines made it impossible to consult with Indigenous people in advance? How do we prepare ourselves to work with protocols that are new to us and that respect Indigenous ways of learning and knowing? How do we create a safe space for Library staff and members of the public to discuss topics that can be personal and emotional? This session will explore the ways that we faced these challenges through training, collaboration, dialogue and a willingness to consider new ways of operating. It will also outline the implications for the Library's work culture in the future as well as how we were impacted as individuals.