OISE hosts Aboriginal Education Forum 

October 28, 2014

On Friday October 24, 2014, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education hosted an Aboriginal Education Forum that brought together educators, community organizations, academic and community researchers, community members and key education stakeholders to articulate the issues in Aboriginal Education in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and to collaborate on solutions and action plans for programs, policy and curriculum.

In her opening welcome, OISE Dean Julia O’Sullivan noted OISE’s commitment to Aboriginal education, “OISE as an institution is committed to understanding and advancing the educational needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people here and around the world, with the goal of enriching public education for all.”

“Today’s forum, while focused on the Greater Toronto Area, has significant implications for OISE’s work beyond Toronto, across the country, and in other countries who share our commitment to advancing Indigenous education,” she added.

Forum organizer, Professor Suzanne Stewart, Advisor to the Dean on Aboriginal Education and Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Homelessness and Life Transitions introduced special guest speakers: Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow on the political perspective, Toronto District School Board Director Donna Quan on Aboriginal education in the public system, and keynote session speaker Professor Susan Dion, an Indigenous scholar in the Faculty of Education at York University, on: Moving Past the Perfect Stranger Position: Making Space for Aboriginal Education in Ontario.

This forum followed a $5-million dollar gift towards Indigenous education research in Canada, given to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto by an anonymous donor.

The Indigenous Education Network, a group of students, faculty and community members who share a common commitment to and passion for Indigenous Education and Research, was instrumental in the planning and organization of the Forum.