Raising Reconciliation: From High School to Post-Secondary

How the Iniskim Centre creates a welcoming space for MRU’s Indigenous students

by Monique LaBossiere, Bill Atwood, Jackson Reed

University life seems so exciting in the movies. From unpacking your brand new bed sheets to cooking your first meal alone, the possibilities seem endless. Steve Kootney-Jobin, the Indigenous housing and events coordinator for Mount Royal University’s Iniskim Centre, says this picturesque image is not a reality for all students.

“It almost becomes this fictionalized Hollywood type of image. Where you have students arriving at the dorms, being dropped off by both parents and then their parents taking them shopping and stocking them up for the semester, when that isn’t always the case.” - Steve Kootney-Jobin

“I was asked by one of my roommate if I got everything for free. On one hand it does make me feel a little bad if I am viewed [as having gotten] a free ride or not. I guess it’s just a little alienating,” says Lightning. - Jacob Lightning

To learn more about the Iniskim center at Mount royal University please visit:

https://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/IniskimCentre/index.htm

This episode is created by:

https://calgaryjournal.ca/

Intro music by Ricardo-Andres-Garcia