Throughout the year, Indigenous Services hosts a number of educational and cultural events for our Lethbridge College community. These events range from educational workshops and RBC student success series specifically dedicated for our Indigenous students, to cultural events for all community members, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, to attend and share in the rich heritage and culture that is still alive and thriving today. We invite you all participate and take some time to pause and reflect on the past and look to the future with celebrations that honour our Indigenous communities and recognizes the accomplishments of our Indigenous learners.
Upcoming Events
Indigenous Services Virtual Student Welcome
RBC Student Success Series
RBC Indigenous Mentorship Night
Stone Pipe Days
Indigenous Virtual Bingo
Indigenous Honour Celebration
Orange Shirt Day
Sisters in Spirit
Attend our RBC Student Success Series
Indigenous Services is pleased to present our RBC Student Success Series. These sessions are intended to provide Indigenous learners with opportunities to develop and enhance their core competencies and Niitsitapi values to holistically equip them with life skills, job readiness and career skills. Topics will include time management, career development, financial aid and student awards and much more.
Annual Indigenous Events
Indigenous Student Welcome
As the first step into college life for Indigenous students, the Indigenous Student Welcome guides students in experiencing the support and activities available to them as Indigenous students at Lethbridge College. Each fall term, following the New Student Orientation, the Indigenous Welcome connects students to the Indigenous Services team and the Circle of Services that are available to them.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day on September 30th provides opportunities to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. Each year, Lethbridge College’s Indigenous Services hosts a short program, including the hashtag #EveryChildMatters to continue the discussion and bring continued awareness to the legacy of residential schools in Canada. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, local governments, schools and organizations to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
Learn more about Orange Shirt Day
Sisters in Spirit
Sisters in Spirit honours the memory of the more than 1,200 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Every year on October 4th, vigils and events are held across the country in support of family members and loved ones. Amnesty International - Lethbridge, organizes the local event, in collaboration with the local and surrounding Indigenous community partners. The SIS planning committee acknowledges and encourages the presence and participation of post-secondary students. As a result, Lethbridge College’s Indigenous Services hosts a short program, which is student led, to serve as a way for students to bring awareness and address the issue of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
Stone Pipe Days
Celebrate the pride, history and knowledge of First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture and heritage during our annual Stone Pipe Days. Over the course of three days, you’ll be immersed in Indigenous culture with a line-up of both traditional and contemporary entertainment, educational panel discussions and guest speakers from the community including:
- powwow drumming and dancing performances
- Métis fiddling and jigging
- a hand drum contest
- a taste of culture
- arts, crafts and community exhibits
- and much more!
Rock Your Mocs
Rock Your Mocs is a worldwide Native American & Indigenous Peoples social media unity event held annually during November. During Rock Your Mocs, individuals are asked to wear their moccasins, take a photo and share them online with the hashtag #ROCKYOURMOCS which creates “an online photo album” for the world to see and enjoy. In addition, Lethbridge College’s Indigenous Services host a short program highlighting the local culture and history of moccasin-making and includes a round dance.
Indigenous Winter Feast and Poiskinnaksin
At the halfway point of the academic year, our students engage in prayer and a source of renewal during our Indigenous Winter Feast and Poiskinnaksin (sacred ochre blessing). It’s an opportunity for our students to spend time socially visiting with the Elders and sharing social space in the Niitsitapi Gathering Place. This mid-winter event rejuvenates students and provides encouragement to continue to the end of the semester successfully.
Indigenous Honour Celebration
Each spring, we host Indigenous Honour Celebration in conjunction with Lethbridge College Convocation. The event is a time for graduating students, their families, supporting agencies, college faculty and staff to come together in celebration of the accomplishments of our Indigenous graduates.