Fourth Annual University of Toronto/OISE – IEN Mental Health Conference

Indigenizing Psychology Symposium: Education & Healing

MAY 22 & 23, 2014, 9 AM – 5 PM AURORA COLLEGE, YELLOWKNIFE CAMPUS, NWT

Registration Fees Symposium (includes catered lunches): $200 academics, practitioners, and professionals

$100 students & community members Cultural Dinner: $65.00

To register email: ien@utoronto.ca Funded by OISE Dean’s Office, IEN/OISE/UT, SSHRC

Agenda Includes: 3 Keynote Speakers and a Panel Discussion: • Dr. Rod McCormick, Thompson Rivers University • Dr. Raven Sinclair, University of Regina • Dr. Suzanne L. Stewart, OISE/University of Toronto • Traditional Elders and Teachers

o Research/Program paper presentations by students & academics o Catered Traditional Indigenous Food

• Cultural Dinner with Drumming and Dene Hand Games

This two-day symposium will cover issues related to Indigenous mental health and healing in education. It is for educators, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers of all disciplines of applied mental health interested in enhancing their knowledge and skills, exchanging perspectives, and exploring new ideas.

!

! !

2014%Indigenizing%Psychology:%Education%and%Healing%!The!Fourth!Annual!OISE!Indigenous!Education!Network!

Mental!Health!Symposium!22@23!May,!2014!

Yellowknife,%Northwest%Territories%!!!

CALL$FOR$REGISTRANTS$$%

CALL$FOR$POSTERS$ The overarching goal of this Symposium is to build on our previous and current conceptions of Indigenous healing in education and to provide new and innovative information, inquiry, and synthesis of mental health issues and solutions from Aboriginal knowledges. Through the development of new insights regarding Indigenous psychology in education throughout the Symposium, cutting edge and creative theories and models for addressing current mental health needs in all levels of education, including curricula, pedagogies, programming, counseling, and psychoeducational assessments of Indigenous peoples in Canada. This Symposium will achieve several central objectives. First, to get a clear understanding of the psychology of Indigenous mental health and healing by articulating conceptual foundations that expand the current deficit model of mental health, enriching knowledge by focusing on the social processes of socio-political contexts, culture, and traditional knowledges and medicines and how these are linked to psychology. Secondly, to bring together leaders and innovators in the fields of Indigenous mental health from traditional, academic, and practitioner backgrounds. The sharing of ideas and ensuing dialogue of the diverse expertise of these high profile speakers will allow all attendees at the Symposium to take part in the creation of Indigenous healing solutions to psychological challenges within education that will be developed out of the strengths and resources that Indigenous individuals and communities provide to explain the key intersections of mental health, socio-political realities, and Aboriginal knowledges. Thirdly, The Annual Indigenous Education Network Mental Health Symposium was developed to address a dire need for the advancement of the psychology of Indigenous mental health from Aboriginal knowledges, given the overwhelming lack of culturally based theory and models and the growing population of Indigenous peoples migrating to cities, many of whom seek fruitless mental health services from non-Indigenous perspectives.

!

! !

More specific Symposium objectives for 2014 include: • Reaching a diverse audience of those interested in Indigenous education and mental health, including researchers, academics, students, practitioners, policy makers, and community service administrators. • Developing new and refining existing traditional Indigenous approaches to current education and mental health issues. • Engaging Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals and communities in meaningful dialogue on Indigenous education and mental health healing. • Training and/or enhancing the careers of Aboriginal scholars, educators, practitioners, policy makers, and administrators. • Infusing Indigenous ways of knowing into current applied psychology theories and practices in education and mental health. • Preserving and documenting Indigenous knowledges within the various levels of research, practice, and administration. • Identifying knowledge mobilization tools to extend research and practice impact to Indigenous communities first, and then more broadly to non-Indigenous contexts. The symposium will be held this year in Yellowknife NWT, in partnership with Aurora College. Over two days there will be three leading experts in Indigenous Psychology/ Healing and Education delivering half-day workshops on Indigenous education and healing, plus an interactive panel discussion. A social event with Indigenous entertainment on the first evening and cultural events on the second evening will also comprise conference activities and be included in the registration fee. Specifically, the symposium will explore six key topic areas via oral presentations, workshops presentations, and cultural workshops by leading Canadian Indigenous health and healing practitioners within education at the postsecondary, secondary, and elementary levels. As well, we invite researcher, student, institutional, and community organization members to present academic or program posters within the following topics: 1. Indigenous counselling and psychotherapy in education 2. Educational assessment and testing from Indigenous perspectives 3. Integration of Indigenous and Western healing in education and mental health 4. Traditional cultural healing in education and mental health service 5. Research and ethical issues 6. Policy, program, and administrative issues in Indigenous education You may submit abstracts (max 500 words) for poster presentations in any of the above key topic areas until May 7, 2014. Please email presenter name, title, biography, and abstracts to ien@utoronto.ca

4th$Annual$OISE$Indigenous$Education$Network’s$

Indigenizing(Psychology:(Education(and(Healing(Symposium(Schedule$$

(subject$to$change)$

$

$

Day$1,$Wednesday$May$21,$2014.$Registration$3:00$pm$to$5:00$pm$Aurora$College$Lobby,$Yellowknife$Campus,$NWT$

$

Thursday$May$22,$2014,$Auditorium,$Aurora$College,$Yellowknife$Campus$$

8:30$am$to$9:00$am$Traditional$Cultural$Opening$by$Elder$Be’sha$Blondin$$Welcome$by$Jane$Arychuk,$President$of$Aurora$College$$

Introductory$Remarks,$Dr.$Suzanne$Stewart,$Special$Advisor$to$$$$

the$OISE$Dean$on$Aboriginal$Education$

$

9:00$am$to$11:30$am.$Workshop$#1$by$Dr.$Rod$McCormick$Truth$and$ReGconcealGiation:$What$happened$to$the$healing?$$$

11:30$am$to$1:00$pm.$Catered$Lunch$$

1:00$pm$to$3:30$pm.$Workshop$#2$by$Dr.$Suzanne$Stewart$Intergenerational$Trauma$and$Education$$$

3:30$pm$to$4:30$pm.$Research$Paper$and$Poster$Presentations,$BreakXout$Rooms$$

4:30$pm$to$5:00pm.$Day$1$Summary$by$Dr.$Suzanne$Stewart$$

6:00$pm$to$8:30$pm.$Cultural$Dinner$with$Drumming$and$Dene$Hand$Games$at$$$$The$Smokehouse$in$N’Dilo.$

$

Day$2,$Friday$May$23,$2014,$Auditorium,$Aurora$College,$Yellowknife$Campus$$9:00$am$to$11:30$am.$Workshop$#3$by$Dr.$Raven$Sinclair$$Indigenous$Traditional$Laws$as$a$Framework$for$Mental$Health$Intervention$$$

11:30$am$to$1:00$pm.$Catered$Lunch$$

1:00$pm$to$2:30$pm.$Panel$Discussion$with$Elder$Be’sha$Blondin,$Dr.$McCormick,$$$$Dr.$Stewart,$and$Dr.$Sinclair$

$

2:30$pm$to$2:45$pm.$Coffee$Break$$

2:45$pm$to$4:00$pm.$Summary$by$Dr.$Suzanne$Stewart$$Concluding$Remarks$by$Jane$Arychuk$$

$Traditional$Cultural$Closing$by$Elder$Be’sha$Blondin$