Lheidli: Where the Two Rivers Meet

News and Events

Decolonizing Cultural Safety Education through Cultural Connections

[originally posted on ECU Events]

Cultural Connections is an Indigenous community-led approach to cultural safety education that seeks to decolonize the healthcare system through making and dialogue.

This is a collaboration between the Aboriginal Gathering Place and the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the Director of Aboriginal Education at the College of New Caledonia, and funded through a Systems Change Grant from the Vancouver Foundation. The overall goal of this project has been to shift how the next generation of health professionals view Indigenous health and support an environment where Indigenous peoples can consistently access culturally safe and appropriate care, feel comfortable using the healthcare system, and experience better health outcomes.

The exhibition and related publication are the result of a three-year pilot project to develop and test the Cultural Connections Workshop Model for cultural safety education. Grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, the three-day workshop aims to create a culturally immersive space for the purpose of shared learning and mutual benefit by bringing together health-science students with Indigenous community members. Participants interact with one another through sharing circles and through making — using arts and material practice to facilitate dialogue and relationship building.

Exhibit Closing Reception + Presentation

We invite you to join us at the closing reception on Aug. 29, 2023 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to meet the project team, artists and collaborators, and understand the potential of this approach to addressing Indigenous-specific racism and health inequities that persist today.