Creating safe and welcoming spaces that reflect the needs of Indigenous students in the Catholic school system is critical to their success, educators said during an online panel discussion.
“We all have the right to appear and be recognized. We need to recognize the other in order to co-exist on this planet. How do we create opportunities for empathy?” said Dr. Sarah Twomey, professor and dean of education at St. Mary’s University in Calgary.
Those spaces create an environment for Indigenous Peoples to share their collective memory of injustice, said Twomey, one of four presenters during a panel entitled Catholic education and Indigenous People – where are we and where do we go? The March 3 event was co-sponsored by St. Joseph’s College at the University of Alberta and St. Mary’s University. It’s part of a Crossroads speaker series.