Day of Learning 2025

Sept. 26, 2025 – Day of Learning Program

9 a.m. | Opening the Circle | David E. Enarson Gymnasium 

We begin the day together at 9 a.m. with an Opening the Circle to start the day with Stó:lō protocol and ceremony. The purpose of gathering is to learn and grow in our understanding of the history and legacy of Indian residential schools, and to honour the survivors, their families, and communities. University Siya:m Patricia Victor Switametelót, Stó:lō, along with several Indigenous elders and leaders, will lead us in our time together.

1–3 p.m. | Learning Activities | Langley campus various location
Workshops and learning opportunities will be available in the afternoon 1–3 p.m. throughout the Langley campus. See below for workshop details and locations. Activities run concurrently, commencing at 1 p.m. 

• Movie: Sugarcane 
  Reimer Student Centre, 2nd Floor, Alumni Hall
  After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at residential schools was brought to light in 2021 with evidence of unmarked graves on the grounds. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, Sugarcane illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

• Movie: WaaPaKe
  DeVries Auditorium
  For generations, the suffering of residential school survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities. Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin’s deeply personal documentary WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) moves beyond intergenerational trauma, with an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence and unite in collective freedom and power. 

• Language Documentation and Revitalization
  Canada Institute of Linguistics, Harvest Centre, Room 208/209
  Come learn about the many Indigenous languages spoken in BC and across Canada. Try out a few phrases in Halq’eméylem and hear how communities are working to document and renew their heritage languages. 

• Blanket Exercise 
  RNT 121
  Using Indigenous methodologies, the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Peoples. Please bring a blanket with you. 

• On the Land
  Ubuntu Pavillion
  The land is a gift from Chichel Siyá:m and holds our stories, songs, and prayers. The land is rich in plants and medicines. Listen to an Indigenous knowledge-keeper teach about Xpá:y, and take a walk in the Ecosystem Study Area to find the wealth and health provided by the land. 

• Reconciliation through Art
  SAMC Gallery
  In this workshop, Northwest Coast Indigenous artist, Sus Cho, Randall Bear Barnetson, will share about his new exhibition Susdli. Participants will be immersed in storytelling and Northwest Coast art forms exploring themes of identity and becoming.

• Oral Tradition 
  Group A: Kuhn 115/116
  Group B: Kuhn 106
  Indigenous peoples have long passed on knowledge from generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life. It is a foundation for holistic learning, relationship building, and experiential learning. Join the sharing circle as Elders and Knowledge-keepers share their stories.   

• Indigenous Stories Matter
  RNT 122
  Reflections and conversations about the importance of Indigenous literatures; the value of storytelling (both written and oral) for increasing our ethical and moral response to injustice, oppression, and racism; and the significance of including Indigenous Ways of Knowing in our learning.  

• Paddle Journey
  Meet at Outdoor Centre, RNT
  The land and the waters continue to support Stól:ō cultural and economic practices while serving as a source of knowledge and memory, alongside traditional teachings and laws. Hear the teachings and enjoy a paddle in the canoe. 

• Letse’mot and Letse’thale
  RNT 235
  Reconciliation can be described as learning to walk in a good way. Hear some teachings from a Stól:ō leader on the importance of relationships, faith, and intentional, purposeful pursuit of truth and reconciliation.  

• Arts-based approach to MMIWG Report
  RNT 125
  The Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind the staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBT+ people. Arts-based educational strategies create space and place for diverse groups to dialogue and explore how to engage with and respond to MMIWG.  

• Family story
  RNT 234
  A son and his mother will share their story of intergenerational trauma and intergenerational strength. Colonization disrupted who God created them to be, but God’s redemption continues to bring healing, wholeness, and victory in their lives.   

3:15 p.m. |  Closing the Circle |  David E. Enarson Gymnasium 

Following the afternoon of learning activities, once again we will gather together in the Gym at 3 p.m., ending the day with Stó:lō protocol.