We use cookies on this site to enhance your experience.
By selecting “Accept” and continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies.
More than 550 Laurier employees complete new training on Indigeneity, truth and reconciliation
April 29, 2022
Print | PDFA new training program focused on Indigeneity, truth and reconciliation has garnered high rates of participation among employees at Wilfrid Laurier University.
In December 2020, Laurier made the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation course, an online course developed by First Nations University of Canada, available to employees at the Brantford and Waterloo campuses and Kitchener location. More than 550 employees, including all managers and members of Laurier’s executive leadership team, have completed the course to date.
“Offering 4 Seasons of Reconciliation to employees reflects Laurier’s commitment to increasing Indigenous knowledge and ways of being throughout our campus communities.”
Topics covered in the course include Indigenous culture, treaties, colonialism, residential schools and the 94 Calls to Action contained in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
“Offering 4 Seasons of Reconciliation to employees reflects Laurier’s commitment to increasing Indigenous knowledge and ways of being throughout our campus communities,” says Darren Thomas, associate vice-president of Indigenous Initiatives at Laurier. “Employee learning opportunities such as 4 Seasons of Reconciliation allow us to learn together and create an inclusive and equitable environment to work, learn and be.”
In January 2021, Human Resources incorporated 4 Seasons of Reconciliation into the university’s onboarding training for new employees. The self-paced course can be completed online in approximately three hours through Laurier’s learning management system. Those who complete the course can also participate in facilitated discussion groups to further their learning within the Laurier context.
"4 Seasons of Reconciliation provides Laurier employees with an important foundation to support further learning and discussions about Indigeneity within the broader university,” says Pam Cant, chief human resources and equity officer at Laurier. “These are discussions we need to have – and keep having – as we continue toward our goals of Indigenization at Laurier.”
Laurier received a nomination for a 2022 Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award in the employee engagement category for implementing 4 Seasons of Reconciliation.