The Nest

*Birds chirping, music*

Rae Dawson: Thanks for tuning into the Nest, a podcast by the Martlet, the University of Victoria's independent newspaper. Settle in as we talk with UVic and greater Victoria community members about what they're doing, why they're doing it, and how you can get involved. The Nest is produced in the studios of 101.9 FM CFUV radio, on the unceded lands of the Lekwungen peoples and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, whose relationship with the land continues to this day.

*Birds chirping, music*

Rae Dawson: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Nest. My name is Rae Dawson, and today I have the privilege of sitting here with Lauren McLean, who is from the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement.

Lauren McLean: [greeting] Hello, my name is Lauren McLean. Through my maternal line, I’m Métis and have ties to the Saint Laurent [] Lake and the Red River region through the [] families. And then through my paternal line I'm Scottish English, through the McLean and [] families. I was born in Neepawa, Manitoba, but I've lived the majority of my life throughout the Northwest coast, and I've been living on Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories for the last six years. I moved here to finish my undergraduate degree, and then stayed to work at the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement.

Rae Dawson: Awesome. Thanks so much, Lauren, and thank you so much for being here today.

Lauren McLean: Of course.

Rae Dawson: I'm very, very jazzed to chat with you. So to start us off, for those who may not know, what is the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. So our office, which we just call IACE for short because it's a long title, is basically a hub for cultural, academic and community connections for Indigenous folks on campus. And so, like some more specific things that we do are manage the First Peoples House, we build, and support Indigenous partnerships on and off campus. We ensure that Indigenous content and ways of knowing are included in UVic curriculum and events, and we support Indigenous students' success, which is kind of our main goal.

Rae Dawson: Awesome. Your website states that IACE's primary responsibility is supporting Indigenous students. What does that entail during your day to day operations at IACE?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, we do a lot of things. So we have a pretty big team right now, which is great. We all kind of do little different pieces to bring everything together. But, some of the things that we do on a daily basis include keeping the First Peoples House open and running so that Indigenous students have a physical space where they can go and just feel safe and warm and welcomed.

The First Peoples House has spaces where you can study, share a meal with your peers, you can practice ceremony, and access the sports and programming that we have. It also includes, like a shared kitchen and lunch room, a computer room, and a study lounge. So those are all really cool spaces that Indigenous students have access to, which is lovely.

Rae Dawson: It really is like a home away from home.

Lauren McLean: It is. It's super beautiful and the vibe in there is just completely different than anywhere else on campus, I find. So yeah, we do so many other things, like we coordinate drop in supports at the House, for services like tutoring and counseling and the Center for Accessible Learning. We do academic advising, drop ins [by] a nurse and doctor, co-op and career advising, the Office of the Vice President Indigenous has drop-in hours as well, as well as the Indigenous student support coordinators from the Office of Student Life. So all of those folks come and have hours in the house where students can come and connect with them.

We also facilitate the Elders in Residence program, so that students are able to visit with elders every week. Our student support staff are always working with students to ensure that they're adequately supported and connected with appropriate resources. Another day to day operation during the big terms are that our campus cousins program is running, so that Indigenous students have peer mentors, peer leaders that they can connect to if they need them.

It also means that we're running our regularly scheduled programming, like our lunches, our new networking sessions, wellness activities like acupuncture and yoga, and wellness circles. We do crafter-noons as well. And it also means providing academic courses to support Indigenous students, whether they're first year, upper year, undergraduate or graduate students. And then the other kind of component that goes on is always working with UVic faculty and staff on how to make sure that Indigenous content is represented in curriculums and finding new ways to deliver that content.

Rae Dawson: You guys do a lot of stuff.

Lauren McLean: We do a lot of things! *laughter* We do a lot of things, and our team is really incredible and everybody contributes in so many incredible, beautiful ways, and to making sure that all of this runs as smoothly as possible.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I know, when I was putting together my questions for this episode, I was going through your guys' website and I found myself struggling to be like, “What should I ask?” Because there are so, so many things that you guys cover on campus, which is great.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, it's a lot.

Rae Dawson: It's a lot, a lot in a blessing way I'm sure, but also overwhelming at times?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, a university is a fast paced and very intense place to be and so that definitely affects the work that we do. And so there's always a little bit of, you know, that kind of go, go, go energy. But we try really hard to slow things down a little bit.

Rae Dawson: Nice, nice. I'm really curious to hear about how you yourself came into this position, because one of the goals of this podcast, or at least one of my goals with this podcast, is to show people the beautiful stories of how people get into the careers that they get into, or the paths they find. So I'm really curious what brought you to this position?

Lauren McLean: I feel like so many factors, but I think I have to go back a little bit to fully explain my journey. So, I actually transferred to the University of Victoria in 2019, to finish my undergraduate degree. So I had started my post-secondary journey doing online distance education through the College of New Caledonia while I was working full time. And then I was really in this place of like after high school just being like, I have no idea what I want to do. There were so many things that I was interested in, that I felt like I could have pursued, but what was really meaningful for me at the time was that I was on a path of reconnecting to family and to culture.

So I didn't have the privilege of growing up in my community, because of a lot of impacts of colonization. And so, around that time I was really working hard to find more about my family and about my culture. And while it was at the College of New Caledonia, I had the absolute privilege of being taught by a really incredible Métis artist, Kim Stewart. And so I took a Métis Histories class, and then I Métis Arts and Culture class. That was really incredible and that's what kind of pointed me in the direction of UVic, because that same year, 2019, was the year that they launched the Indigenous Studies major program. So that was the first year that that was available and so I transferred to UVic. I started just kind of like, humanities undeclared, but I kind of knew that I was going in the Indigenous Studies direction. And so the first couple of years I was here, we didn't obviously have a lot of time on campus before the COVID-19 pandemic started. But after restrictions started changing a little bit and people moved back to in-person on campus activities, it was actually, funny enough, a former campus cousin who introduced me to the space and to the staff and to a lot of my close friends. And then I just was there all the time whenever I was on campus, making connections with folks enough that I went on to work as the Fire Keeper for the Native Students Union for a year and just kind of getting involved in whatever ways that I could. And I participated in a lot of the programing that IACE offers and taking advantage of those really great supports. I was just wrapping up my final electives of my degree in the summer of 2023 and, the job posting for Events Coordinator came open and I applied for it, and was really fortunate to be offered the position. I did that role for just over a year before starting the LE,NONET student leadership coordinator role.

Rae Dawson: That's awesome, I love it. It's like, you've done everything.

Lauren McLean: A little bit! *laughter*

Rae Dawson: A little bit of everything. I think that's so positive to hear, that being a student who is receiving those resources, participating in that, and then that leads you to cyclically then give back. I think that's so positive, because then you can also relate to the students that you're dealing with.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. That was a big motivation of being at the First People's House and being in the community there completely changed the outlook and the direction of my degree. And, I'm sure a lot of students can relate when I say that it's really hard. It's a hard thing to go through your undergrad, and there were times where I was like, “Why am I doing this?” But it was that support and that community and those services that got me through it, and helped me graduate, and so I wanted to be able to give back to that community.

And so when I was working as the events coordinator, it was really nice to be able to put all of this programming together for students and get to see them be happy and access them, and feel supported. And then now, as the student leadership coordinator, I get to supervise the Campus Cousins program, which are a group of student leaders who are doing the same things and giving back to their community.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely. I started my undergraduate degree in 2019 as well, so I had the same COVID ride of oh my god, no campus for two years, basically. And it did significantly impact my experience on campus. It's kind of funny now working for the Martlet – I feel like when I was a student, because of COVID, I was so uninvolved on campus. By the time I came back to campus I was already an upper year student, and I was like, I just got to get through this. And now I feel really lucky to work at the Martlet because I feel like I'm catching up on all my campus involvement on the back end. And it does make me – I don't know if I want to do an undergrad again – *laughter*

Lauren McLean: I think that's fair.

Rae Dawson: But it does make me go back and be like, man, campus culture and finding your groups on campus and coming on campus makes such a difference. Not only in your degree, but in your life. Like you said, all your close friends are now from this campus resource that you accessed.

Lauren McLean: Yeah. I have so many beautiful, wonderful people in my life that I have met through the First Peoples House and it has helped me grow this incredible, mutually supportive and encouraging community here in Victoria that I don't want to leave because it's so fantastic and so wonderful. So yeah, it's cool. And it's also cool to see because we had such an interesting post-secondary journey with the pandemic right at the start of it. And now getting to see students who experienced a version of that but in high school coming through this and them navigating that. And then also now seeing students in post-secondary who have kind of an uninterrupted journey through that. So it's just really neat to reflect and to see all of these different experiences and see the students share their – like, bond and share in that.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely, and having such a beautiful space to do it in, and such a warm and community centered space I'm sure is lovely.

Lauren McLean: Absolutely, yeah.

Rae Dawson: I’m so glad, I'm so glad. So the IACE does so many things across campus, as we've already discussed, from providing financial aid to Indigenous students, to Indigenous counseling, to managing the First Peoples House. And so, for Indigenous students who are maybe thinking about getting involved with you guys, what is the best way or program for new Indigenous students to dip their toes into interacting with you?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. That's a great question, and one we're really passionate about is getting first year students and students who are new to post-secondary involved. So our office works really intentionally around that and reaching out to those students, every September and January. Before they even set foot on campus, we're sending emails to people to be like, here are all of the things that we offer, and here are the supports we suggest you connect with. Just to highlight those, so that when they're coming to campus for the first time, they know that we're here, and that all of these resources exist and hopefully it makes things less daunting.

And then members of our staff are present during the residence move-in days. So we get right in there and meet with the new Indigenous students who are moving in. We coordinate with the Residents Education Community Leaders, or RECLs, who work in the living learning community in Sngequ – so that's the new residence building there. We also work with the Indigenous Student Lounge Advisors, as well as other staff and faculty to ensure that we're all sharing all of these resources and putting out the same messaging and working to connect students with us kind of across these different groups to make sure that there's a really big safety net and so that everyone feels supported.

And then this year, the LE,NONET’s first year coordinator has offered a transition seminar for first year students, which is a really cool opportunity to develop skills and knowledge and resources to help successfully navigate university life. And those include things like academic success strategies and skills, learning about key spaces, resources, services, and supports across campus, helps in building communication and interpersonal skills, as well as just personal development, well-being, cultural connection, and social responsibility. So we're really – that's a big goal at our office, is to make sure that when first year students and new to post-secondary students are coming into the space, that we set them up for success by giving them access, and making sure that they're really supported.

Rae Dawson: I love that there's just so many ways – I feel like you’re a stone's throw away no matter where you are on campus. That's great.

Lauren McLean: Yeah. And then we also have the Campus Cousins program, which is great for all those upper year students who are able to connect with new folks coming in. And then I'd also like to highlight the Native Students Union, which is a student-led organization under the University of Victoria Students Society, who do amazing things, and help kind of along the same goals [which] is to make sure that Indigenous students are feeling supported and connected. I think, honestly, when students get to campus, the best thing they can do is attend our Week of Welcome programing, which is the first full week of classes in both January and September. And we do grab-and-go breakfasts, meet and greets with our staff. We do a brunch with the elders, we do new networking, we do a meal and bingo at the end of the week. They're jam packed and very busy, but it's a great way to just jump in and get to know everybody and set yourself up in a good way.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like making those community connections so soon makes the biggest difference in the world. I mean, I'm sure every student can relate to coming to university on your first day and just being completely overwhelmed with all the options and all the different people groups and all the people who want you to join their club and the off-campus sorority house, and all the things.

Lauren McLean: Yes, all of the weird formal and informal things that happen around at the beginning of your university experience.

Rae Dawson: Yeah. Brunch sounds way more chill than all those other things.

Lauren McLean: *laughter* It definitely is. Bingo gets heated, though. We have some competitive bingo players, so there's some heckling. There's a little bit of teasing going on, but it's so beautiful just to sit down and hang out and play games with everybody.

Rae Dawson: It's not community if you're not arguing a little bit.

Lauren McLean: Just a little bit of it.

Rae Dawson: As a treat!

Lauren McLean: As a treat! *laughter*

Rae Dawson: Awesome. Well, you've already touched on it a little bit, but the LE,NONET project, which was established between 2005 and 2009 at UVic, can you tell me a little bit more about what this project is and what sort of beneficial things students might learn from participating?

Lauren McLean: Absolutely. So it's actually LE,NONET’s 20th anniversary this year.

Rae Dawson: Oh my god, congratulations!

Lauren McLean: Yeah, it's really cool. And really exciting to kind of see this milestone in this project. But it was originally developed between UVic and the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation. It was supported by a team of researchers and community representatives to just kind of come together and create a new set of programs and support structures for Indigenous undergraduate students in post-secondary. So it started as this suite of programs that were piloted from 2005 to 2009, and it included a bursary program, an emergency relief fund, a peer mentorship program, a preparation seminar, a community internship program, a research apprenticeship program, and then staff and faculty Indigenous cultural training.

And so, that group of programming, there were kind of two main goals to that, and one of the first ones was to change the experience of Indigenous students who were attending UVic to a more visibly positive one, and to improve Indigenous students access to the university through an effective and readily available program [of] supports and services to help them succeed. So, students would come into these programs and they would learn about Indigenous history and culture, Indigenous research methods, skills for working in community. They would gain work experience in community or at the university, how to socially navigate the university landscape. They would help work and build community and strengthen Indigenous identity, engage in reciprocal learning, relationship building, all those good things.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely. Very, very cool. Additionally, the LE,NONET project includes the LE,NONET’s Campus Cousins, as you've mentioned. Can you tell me a little bit about what the Campus Cousins are and the importance of building cross-campus community for Indigenous students here at UVic?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, for sure. So the Campus Cousins program is a program that offers leadership opportunities, community connections, and valuable mentoring experiences to our students. So the cousins themselves are all upper-level undergraduate or graduate Indigenous students, and they play a really pivotal role in hosting a bunch of different academic and social and cultural events, whether that's from study halls and workshops to movie nights and sharing food together.

They help foster a sense of belonging and support for Indigenous students at the First Peoples House. And that's really crucial because it creates a community that people can feel a sense of belonging to. Like, our students are coming from all over, they're leaving their home communities, their families, their support networks to come to these big colonial institutions that – like, all universities, weren't intended or created to help us succeed. And so having folks here that can welcome them and connect them, with all of these other supports and create the sense of family and that home away from home feeling, is what really helps combat the loneliness and isolation that we can feel as students here. So that's why it's really important that we have this program.

It's also important to highlight the years that this program was piloted, the Campus Cousins program looked a little bit different. It started as a one-on-one peer mentorship program where each cousin was partnered up with an Indigenous student. But the findings coming out of those pilot years was that we needed to move more towards a leadership development model that's better aligned with student needs. And also because the student body has grown so much, it's not possible to have that one on one structure.

And then I'd also just like to recognize that our office received permission from the Vancouver Island University to use the name Campus Cousins, because they have a similarly named program. And so we had to be like, “we would really like to use this, even if it's slightly changed.” And they were very gracious in allowing us to do that.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, what is it – copying is the highest form of flattery. That's so amazing. I mean, I definitely think that, like you said, university can be such a lonely space for students. I also think because it's so just about school or your career or whatever it is, it can feel like it’s a space that's so clinical, so far away from passion or familiarity or a sense of community, as we've been saying over and over again. I found that for myself in my degree, having community made me more engaged in my learning as well. It gave me more of a sense of purpose, a sense of place. One of my favourite things I learned from my English degree I did is — I learned it in one of my very first classes I took at UVic — and it was the question of, “Why should people care?” When you write an essay, when you do anything, why should people care? And that's a question I often can't answer until I think about my community around me and connect to them. So I think it's wonderful that you guys have this program because, not only does it help people feel less alone, but hopefully engage in their academic studies in a more personal way.

Lauren McLean: Yeah. And that's ultimately something that we really strive for is we want to see our Indigenous students grounded in their communities and their teachings and bring all of that knowledge with them into their education and to share that with each other. And so, yeah, we just hope that the Campus Cousins program, as well as the rest of the LE,NONET programming, can help folks feel that way.

Rae Dawson: Amazing. I'm so curious to learn about the Elders Voice program at IACE. How can Indigenous students engage with the Elders Voice program? And I'm wondering if you have any anecdotes about what connecting students and elders maybe has looked like?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. So the Elders Voices program was created in 2007 as a partnership between Camosun College and the University of Victoria. And the funding for it originally came from British Columbia's Aboriginal Service plan. So these two educational partners reached out to students and elders, First Nations and urban communities on southern Vancouver Island to work this out and what it was going to look like. The elders who participate in the program are really valued members of the UVic community, and their knowledge also informs a lot of our research protocols, and human resources and policy development at the university. Our academic and administrative departments frequently consult with elders about these things. But the most important part is that the elders offer a really vital support system for Indigenous students at UVic, as well as staff and faculty.

So kind of a subset of the Elders Voices program that is really embodied in the First Peoples House is the Elders in Residence program. So we saw over that part of the time with the partnership between Camosun and UVic, that each of us evolved and developed our own program that reflects our unique needs for our students.

So, our current Elders in Residence program runs Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. So a different elder will be in the Elders Lounge, which is a space in the First Peoples House, for students, staff, and faculty to drop by and visit. Our current elders are Eydie Pelkey, Doug LaFortune, Kathy Horne, May Sam, Gerry Ambers, Barb Hulme, Wilbert Papik, and Ann Rose Kerkovius, who are lovely, lovely, lovely humans. And they just get to hang out for four hours and chat with everybody, with the students. I personally feel that it's one of our most valuable programs because, as someone who grew up disconnected and without access to community, it was so life changing to sit with these elders and listen to their stories and perspectives and teachings and just soak all of that in, and to feel that familiar comfort and be so supported and uplifted. When I was a student, it was super healing just to sit with my peers and chat and share space and food and stories and just listen, and you feel really enveloped in culture and comfort in that space. And now as a staff member, when I walk past the lounge and I see it filled with students — and it's filled, like they are cramming into that room to hang out with the elders, which is so beautiful. And then I can hear their laughter echoing down the hallway, and I'm smiling to myself because I know that they're getting that important connection, and being supported. But it's such a lovely feeling just to sit with them, and learn, and explore. And it's really interesting as well, just to sit and honor and explore all of the different similarities and differences between our Nations and communities. I think sometimes people forget that not — Indigenous people are not this massive, one thing.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, just one massive population.

Lauren McLean: *laughter* We come from so many different communities with so many varied histories and teachings and protocols, and so when we come together, it's a really cool opportunity to learn. And then, when you get that intergenerational knowledge sharing, and it's so much fun and honestly, so funny too. Like, our elders are funny.

Rae Dawson: I definitely believe that.

Lauren McLean: Many jokes are shared. There's so much laughter. A lot of people are in there crafting, and we have a lot of knitters, and so sometimes they'll join May Sam on Wednesdays and just sit and knit. Lots of beaders get in there. But it's just a really wonderful space and a really wonderful time to be with them.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely. Yeah, I mentioned this on the last episode we recorded, but one of the best pieces of advice that I ever received before going to university was to actively try to be in a space that was multi-generational, and away from just students. I have — I'm fortunate enough to have an aunt and uncle who both live in Victoria, and when I was in first year, every Sunday I went to my aunt's house for dinner, and it was just so nice and took me out of the headspace and stress that exists on university campuses, and especially like living with other students, being with other students all the time, it just kind of becomes this all consuming cycle. So, not only having someone from the outside, but an elder who carries so much wisdom to share, and also a sense of humour about life that you really gain as you get older. *laughter* It just sounds so, so wonderful. And I'm so glad to hear it's been going so well.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, that intergenerational piece is so crucial. And it's wonderful coming to university and being able to be around all of these incredible people who are the same age and have all of these similar ideas, and it's a really generative space, but it's really great to contextualize all of what you're learning and feeling with what the elders have to say, and their experiences, and it's a really incredible kind of measure of what's changed. Because literally two generations ago, people were in residential schools. And so it's really crucial to remember that and to have that acknowledgment of the history, and that's why what we're doing is so important. When we get into that space and it's the elders, and the students, and the staff all hanging out, and when the faculty drop in to visit and it's a really generative, wonderful space to be in.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. And I'm sure it's just as healing or connective for the elders as well to get to see this younger generation go forth from all the struggles and hardships that they've experienced and had to overcome and endure. To see the product of that, to a certain degree, of course, in these young people and how excited they are to go out and change the world for the better. I'm sure it's a very two way street.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, I would absolutely agree with that.

Rae Dawson: Amazing. The First Peoples House on UVic campus has been open since January of 2010. Can you tell me about the inspiration behind it, and what purpose it serves on campus?

Lauren McLean: So, starting in 2007, UVic adopted its strategic plan titled “A Vision for the Future - Building on Strength”. And part of that plan included a pledge to build on their commitment to their unique relationship to Canada's First Peoples. Building a physical space, building the First Peoples House, was a huge part of reaching that goal. Even though that plan wasn't adopted until 2007, the consultation process for the House actually began in 2001.

So that was while Dr. David Turpin was still the president of the university, and it brought in Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff, students, faculty, they brought in coast and straight Salish chiefs and leaders, elders, community members, that were kind of part of that ongoing consultation and collaboration throughout the duration of the project. The person who designed the House was Alfred Waugh, and he is actually the first Indigenous architect to become LEED certified, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, so that was a really monumental achievement with the House.

The design of it reflects both Coast and Straits Salish peoples and their cultures and their influences, as well as some pieces from the Interior Salish. Indigenous art can be found in our foyer and the corridors and in all of our rooms. The exterior of the House is western red cedar and it's designed to look like a longhouse, and then the roof of our building as well is covered in indigenous plant life, which is really cool.

Rae Dawson: Very, very cool.

Lauren McLean: It's also surrounded by a lot of indigenous plant life now as well. After it opened, they put on a lot of garden beds that have indigenous plants.

Rae Dawson: Are you guys able to harvest any of the herbs you grow or anything like that to use? Or is it mostly just for enjoying visually?

Lauren McLean: No, there's definitely some plants that we're able to harvest. And there's a lot of really cool initiatives on campus right now where there are other garden spaces that are being kind of revitalized and brought back with local plant species as well.

Rae Dawson: Very exciting.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, yeah and then it opened January 25th, 2010.

Rae Dawson: And here we are 15 years later.

Lauren McLean: Exactly.

Rae Dawson: I’m so curious, what's your favorite spot in the First Peoples House?

Lauren McLean: I feel like this is an uncommon answer, I feel like everybody that I talk to they're like, “I love the study lounge, I love the ceremonial hall.” And while I love both of those spaces, my favorite place in the building is actually just to be tucked away on the couches in the corner of the foyer. I sat there a lot during my undergrad, working, and I just like it because you're looking out these massive glass windows. And you can see all of the greenery around, so it makes me feel really connected to nature in that spot. There's a really big potted tree in the inside of the foyer as well, it's really beautiful. And I like to be able to sit there and watch the rest of campus life happening around me. And it also feels very grounding because I can look outside at the welcoming figures that are carved by Doug LaFortune, and I can look kind of to my left and see the house posts that were carved by Charles Elliott, and just be reminded of the local cultures and the power in the history of these Peoples. And then I also get to sit there and just say hello and goodbye to everybody that comes in and out. So it's just a really beautiful spot for me.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. Unofficial greeter, getting to be surrounded by architectural family. Yeah, that sounds so lovely. So, in regards to the First Peoples House and also all the things that IACE does, what is the etiquette involved if non-Indigenous students are curious about visiting the First Peoples House or your office?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, absolutely. So obviously it's a public building on a public campus. So folks are welcome to come and visit. We just ask that everyone remains really respectful about the intention of the space, and that's like, we're there to support Indigenous students, and the spaces and the services that we provide are for Indigenous students. But we always love seeing folks who are coming through to look at the art in the hallway. So, we're actually a mini extension of Legacy Art Galleries, which is UVic’s partner gallery. And so we have a rotating exhibit that's in there. So folks can come and peruse and appreciate all of the art, and appreciate the space and all of the work that went into it. We just ask that folks are respectful and quiet, because it is a space where folks are studying.

Rae Dawson: So no sprinting through the halls, unfortunately.

Lauren McLean: *laughter* Preferably not. And then also, when you walk into the First Peoples House, there are these really beautiful teachings on signage that we just ask people to stop and consider, and think about how they can embody that when they're in the space.

Rae Dawson: Lovely, I love that. And just as a follow up, how can non-Indigenous students, staff, and faculty on UVic’s campus act as allies to our Indigenous community here?

Lauren McLean: I mean, there's so many ways, but I'm actually curious if you have suggestions or resources that you could share for folks?

Rae Dawson: I absolutely do. I myself, in my own degree, had the privilege of taking a couple of Indigenous studies classes, and I always say that if you're a student at UVic and you have the opportunity to take Indigenous Studies 101, do it. It was one of my favourite classes I took throughout university. I learned from Mick Scow, who's just a fantastic teacher. And it just really formed a lot of my understanding of how to exist in this space respectfully, and also ensure I'm not contributing to harm and hopefully taking away from harm that can happen to Indigenous communities, especially on UVic’s campus. So, if you are a student, I highly recommend taking an Indigenous Studies class if you're able to. But, as Lauren actually mentioned to me in our follow up emails, another thing you can do is check out the calls to action that the Truth and Reconciliation Council has put out. They’re easily accessible – to quote Taha from an earlier episode with Students of Color Collective, Google is free. *laughter*

Lauren McLean: It is. It is, guys! *laughter*

Rae Dawson: *laughter* Yes, Google is indeed free, and you can use it.

Lauren McLean: Absolutely. *laughter*

Rae Dawson: There's also the UVic Equity and Human Rights office, [they] offer a lot of workshops and training that are around a lot of different, diversity, equity and inclusion missions. But they do have a lot of Indigenous specific workshops and training programs you can take for free, whether you're a student, faculty member, or just a community member around. There's also something called the Indigenous Cultural Acumen Training, which is for groups of 25 plus, if you're a student group, of course union, a club, a faculty group, whoever it is who wants to ensure that you're all educated on your responsibilities on this land. Another way to go outside of the UVic community is definitely check out native-land.ca if you're curious to find out what Indigenous land you are standing on right now, or where you come from. I had grew up on the unceded territories of the Algonquin peoples, which is colonially known as Ottawa, and that's something I discovered using native-land.ca, and something I didn't know before I actually moved to the West Coast.

Additionally, if you're in Victoria specifically, I'd really recommend checking out songheesnations.ca, and the Songhees Nation has a whole website dedicated to information, ways to support them, things like that. The South Island Powwow just happened. It's so lovely – I’m wearing earrings I bought from there right now, they're little beaded ghosts, and I get a lot of compliments on them. Not to hype myself up, it's more of the beader who did that, for sure. But I always recommend going to that, it's always a good time. And there's also Songhees Tours you can actually book, which I haven't done yet, but I'm desperate to do. And you can have a Lekwungen speaking matriarch give you a wonderful tour around Victoria, give you the Indigenous history of the land that you're on. And there's so many other ways that you can volunteer and donate to local Indigenous initiatives. The Victoria Native Friendship Center is such a wonderful resource, who's always looking for volunteers, as well as the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness [Society], which can be found downtown, are great.

And also just in general, I always encourage people: buy and support Indigenous artists and educators. There are so many out there who are so talented. One of my favorite stores, Aunty Collective –

Lauren McLean: Yes!

Rae Dawson: Love Aunty Collective! *laughter*

Lauren McLean: We love Aunty Collective! *laughter*

Rae Dawson: I love it so much! Yeah, as I mentioned, the South Island Powwow always has so many amazing artists and vendors. Some personal favourite artists of mine are Alex Taylor-McCallum, who is a really, really talented singer, rapper and graffiti artist, who I've had the privilege of working with a couple of times, and he's just so insanely talented. Or Brianna Bear is another wonderful Indigenous leader who I've had the privilege of learning from and interacting with, and does some beautiful art. But, there are so many ways!

Lauren McLean: There are so many ways!

Rae Dawson: So many ways. Google is free, listen back to that last five minutes on repeat, whatever you need to do.

Lauren McLean: I would also like to add on to that – the UVic Libraries has incredible resources. They often have little mini exhibits around Indigenous literature or art, or archival pieces, that you can go and look at. There are maps and so much knowledge around, and honestly, I think I just would encourage folks to slow down, listen, pay attention, be curious. Those are all really important ways to figure out how to get involved and ways to help out.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I think that for myself, having the privilege and honour of listening to Indigenous voices has completely shaped my values as a person and how I show up in my everyday life. So, if you're out there and you're listening and you want to know more, Google it. Go to the UVic library. Do the things, I encourage you. It's so positive and will do nothing but improve your life, I promise.

I'm so curious, what does success look like for IACE, and are there any moments during your time at this office that stand out to you as a moment of success?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, I think that's a really nuanced question because, whose definition of success are we looking at? Because, you know, when you're a first year and you're getting ready to sort everything out and get your courses ready for your degree, UVic’s definition of success, and many universities definition of success, is complete your undergraduate degree in four years and get out, and get a job. *laughter*

Rae Dawson: I definitely failed, it took me five years. *laughter*

Lauren McLean: Yeah, same! *laughter* So by that measure, I think that we really need to shift that. I don't see it as IACE's success, I see it more as the student’s success, because what we do is so collaborative and works between Indigenous staff and faculty and community. So yeah, the work that we do together is to support students, and when they succeed, it's not ours to claim. Like, they did all of the work.

So I just want to acknowledge that and reframe that a little bit. But I think for me, one of the biggest moments of seeing – of feeling that pride and that success, are when our Indigenous students are standing in the Ceremonial Hall being honoured at the Indigenous Recognition Ceremonies for completing their degree. So our office hosts an alternative ceremony – I shouldn't say alternative, they offer an Indigenous ceremony to recognize our Indigenous graduates outside of the big convocation that happens. So when they're standing there on the blankets and they're being recognized for all of their achievements, I think that's when it hits me the most. And I've been so grateful during my time working at the office, I've seen not only myself graduate, but a lot of my peers, and that's been really incredible.

But I think there's so many other versions of success, too. Like when a student feels supported enough to complete an assignment and they're proud of it, and they did that with maybe the help of one of the drop in supports, like, that's really successful. When students honour their language and their teaching, and their ways of thinking and being in their educational journey, that's success. Seeing them show up and bring all of these parts of them and honour those parts while they're here, or when a student makes a choice that supports their well-being and their journey over what this institution considers success. I think that's incredible, is students saying, “Actually, no, I'm going to prioritize myself and my well-being.” Because education is always going to be here. It's not a “if you don't do it in four years, it's going to magically disappear.” It's going to be here.

Rae Dawson: It's so gonna be here, for better or worse.

Lauren McLean: Exactly. So when students make those choices, that's when I think we've succeeded in doing that.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely. I mean, even just hearing you talking about the graduation, it brings tears to my eyes, because university is a place where Indigenous peoples have been so excluded from historically for so long, and has really been built off the back of a lot of racism and a lot of colonialism, as you obviously well know. I can imagine that seeing how successful Indigenous students are when given the resources they need and the opportunities they deserve, I can imagine it's just such a beautiful, full circle moment to observe.

Lauren McLean: It is. Yeah, it's really wonderful. And I talk about it with my colleagues and like, just seeing all of these faces that we've seen for year after year finally conclude this part of their journey. To see them honored in such a beautiful way, because a lot of work goes into those ceremonies and it's a really – yeah, it gives us goosebumps. It's very, very meaningful, and we hold so much pride for our students. Yeah.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, very incredible. What are some challenges that IACE faces?

Lauren McLean: There are three main things that I feel that we're up against, and I feel like a lot of other folks who are in similar departments across universities are in as well, is space, funding, and capacity – are the big three that I personally see. Each year we're seeing more and more Indigenous students enrolling at UVic, and that is incredible. It's what we want to happen, it’s what we want to keep seeing happen.

Rae Dawson: A good problem to have.

Lauren McLean: But unfortunately, the First People's House is only so big. So, we're starting to see the need for more Indigenous spaces on campus for our students to be in, both in terms of residence and social spaces. We can't build out, so where are we going to go? So I think that's where our campus partnerships are really gonna come in handy, in terms of where do we go from here, and visualize and create more spaces for our students. I think we're definitely not the only ones who realize that things are not so great economically right now. We're seeing a really big need for financial support for our students. The cost of living, especially in Victoria, is astronomical. And when those challenges are so big and so present, it directly impacts the ability of our students to show up fully in the ways that they want to, and their educational journey. So not only are we going to need more funding opportunities for Indigenous students, we're also going to need more funding for programming to support the students while they're here.

And then in terms of capacity, as the student body increases, so does our need for Indigenous specific roles and supports in all areas of the university. This is going to be really crucial in building the university's capacity to adequately support Indigenous students. We need to see more of us in specific roles across the campus, not fewer of us kind of doing everything, because that will benefit everyone, because it will support the staff and the faculty, to be able to take care of themselves and not burnout. And it will help the students out because then there will be more of us to help them with whatever comes up.

Rae Dawson: Absolutely. That all makes a lot of sense.*laughter*

Lauren McLean: Yeah. *laughter*

Rae Dawson: That all totally checks out. I know that that's a big problem that UVic is facing on a lot of levels right now. I know that's a huge discussion right now with accommodations and CAL at the moment, is around –– how can we support the large volume of students who are trying to access our services? And we're so grateful and glad that we have all these wonderful students, but how do we fund that?

Lauren McLean: Yes, yeah. We like to think of it, or I like to think of it, as it's a good problem to have, because we want to see more students enrolling and we want to keep seeing more students graduate, and we just we're going to have to really rely on reciprocal and collaborative relationships with the university and different parts of the campus to help realize those goals.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, and it's quote-unquote “a good problem to have” because it shows that the work you're doing is working, and is making UVic a much more accessible space for Indigenous students to be.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, yeah. I've had the opportunity to talk to some folks who do similar work at other universities in Canada. And it's really interesting to hear about what things are at their campuses and in their spaces. And I hear a lot that they're – other universities don't have the same resources and the same commitment to their Indigenous students, and I think we get a lot of praise for how much we have, and it's – the University of Victoria really is a unique example of that. But what matters is that it's inspiring to other folks at other institutions to push to do the same thing. So it's an indication that we're doing something right, but we need to make sure that we keep working to expand and to – or to show that this is possible and that this matters, and [that’s] something we really need to keep doing.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, to your point, we're leading by example. I think it's always so important to have the imagination and courage to be like, no one else is doing it, but I'm going to do it, because we need it, we totally need it. And even though UVic is obviously on the front lines in universities in Canada when it comes to dealing with – or not dealing with, I should say, but providing resources and access for Indigenous communities, that has only been happening for the past 15 years, and this school has been here for at least 70.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, and I think a lot of that is to do with the incredible Indigenous leaders, who have worked and continue to work at this university. I look to Dr. Robina Thomas as someone who has spearheaded these incredible initiatives and worked so incredibly hard to establish a lot of what we have, and all of the incredible staff and faculty who have worked alongside and who have given up a lot and worked incredibly hard to have us where we are now. So it's important for me to acknowledge that we didn't just get here suddenly overnight. This is decades of incredibly difficult work to allow us to do what we do.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I'm so grateful that that work was done and continues to be done by yourself and your team, because it's obviously very essential to any progress we want to make going forward.

Lauren McLean: And I'm just a small part of the team that I work with, and the other teams of Indigenous staff and faculty at the university are incredible. We are stronger together, and when we're all working collectively towards the same thing. So it's a testament to our ability to do that.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I'm so curious, what meaning has your work with IACE taken on for you personally?

Lauren McLean: Yeah. I mean, I touched on it a little bit before. My motivation for working at IACE has been to give back, and to provide students with the same experiences that I had and with the same opportunities and sense of community that I had that were so instrumental in my success. There's a lot of meaning in the community building that happens, both between students, between students and faculty, students and staff, between students and elders, between all of us in the communities – it's a really important part because there's a lot of strength in that.

And then it's also been a really important part of my own personal growth and reconnection. I feel like I know more about myself and my strengths, and what my values are because of the time that I've spent here. And just being able to learn from so many fantastic people and the folks that I work with, and other folks across the university, and all of the incredible professors that I've had and instructors that I've had who have taught me so much, so that's what it's meant to me and what it continues to mean for me.

Rae Dawson: One of the reasons I started this podcast is because I wanted to prove to people that being involved in community makes a difference in people's lives in such intimate, beautiful ways. I'm so glad to hear your descriptions of hearing laughter down the hallway and brunch with the elders, and all these things. It's like it very much is a family. It's a family you can depend on and who can see you when you can't see yourself sometimes, when you're lost in the sauce of school.

Lauren McLean: Yeah. Sometimes you just need that person to remind you it's going to be okay. It doesn't feel like it when you have five midterms due in the next two weeks and everything feels like it's falling apart, but it is going to be okay.

Rae Dawson: Yeah. You're not alone, and people have done it before, you can do it again.

Lauren McLean: Absolutely.

Rae Dawson: Amazing. What reminders would you like to offer to students when interacting with the First Peoples House and IACE?

Lauren McLean: Yeah, I think kind of the core pieces that I really love to talk about, and to remind folks of, is to embrace and embody the teachings of the House, which are visible on the signage in the House, in the classrooms. They're written in Lekwungen and SENĆOŦEN and in English, and the four key teachings are remembering our ancestors and our birthright, working together, bringing in your good heart and your good mind, and being prepared for the work to come. So, I really try to have everything that I do grounded in those teachings. And I like to remind folks who come into the space to also strive to embody those teachings, and also just to remind what you mentioned before, it's a quote-unquote home away from home and our Songhees elder Dr. Skip Dick always reminds us of that. This is your home while you're here, this is the space and these are the people that you can rely on. I think in combination, those two things are really beautiful because when we remember those teachings, we're able to just relate to each other and build such a wonderful community while we're here.

Rae Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. I think those are all so beautiful. I had the privilege of attending the Shade Burlesque Festival in town recently, and Brianna Bear, who's a matriarch in the Lekwungen nation, did the welcome and she said exactly that. She's like, “you're welcome here and the only thing we ask is that you walk with a good heart and a good mind,” and it made me cry – I cry easily, but it did. *laughter* It made me cry, yeah. It's such a familiar way to ask people to just be – my brain is saying, “be chill,” *laughter* that's not the right words – but to ask people to be respectful of the land that they're on and the caretakers of that land.

Lauren McLean: Yeah, another way to frame it too, is when you go over to a friend's house or family's house, you're on your best behavior, you're not throwing your stuff all over the place. There's a level of respect that you show when you're a guest in someone's home, and that's exactly what we are. We're visitors here, we're guests in these territories. And so it's our responsibility to uphold the teachings that they share with us and to walk in a good way, and to have good intentions and just to be kind, grateful, gracious humans while we're here.

Rae Dawson: Yeah. Please, everyone, listen to me. Be kind. I promise it's good!

Awesome. Well, thank you so, so much for being here with me today. I've really, really enjoyed our conversation that we've had. And just before you go, how can people connect with you and where can they find you?

Lauren McLean: Absolutely. So, there's a list. Physically, you can find us at the First Peoples House. We're located right in the heart of campus, next to the quad, right in between Clearihue and the Cornett building. Come by, visit, check out the art, just be respectful.

You can follow us on Facebook at UVic Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement, or you can follow IACE on Instagram @UVicIACE, or you can follow the Campus Cousins @campus_cousins. And then in terms of websites, you can visit uvic.ca/IACE, and then I also encourage you to check out uvic.ca/OVPI as well.

Rae Dawson: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Lauren, for chatting with me. Thanks for being on the Nest, and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.

Lauren McLean: Maarsii, thank you so much for having me.

*Birds chirping*

Rae Dawson: That was our chat with Lauren McLean, the LE,NONET student leadership program coordinator with the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement here at UVic. With Lauren, we talked about what IACE is and the many resources available to Indigenous students, the First Peoples House on UVic’s campus, why intergenerational community is so important, and walking with a good heart and head on the Lekwungen and Songhees territories. The latest special climate edition of the Martlet is available in print and online at martlet.ca, and our next edition comes out online only on December 4, 2025.

*Birds chirping, music*

Rae Dawson: Thanks for tuning into the Nest, a podcast by UVic’s independent newspaper, the Martlet. You can read the latest edition of the Martlet’s publication on martlet.ca or find us on Instagram as @humansofthemartlet, or X, TikTok and LinkedIn as @theMartlet. Interested in getting involved? Email info@martlet.ca to learn more about volunteer writer, editor and design positions.

*Birds chirping, music*

Rae Dawson: And now, a note from the Martlet fact-checking team:

At 7:27, Lauren McLean says “That was really incredible and that's what kind of pointed me in the direction of UVic, because that same year, 2019, was the year that they launched the Indigenous Studies major program.” According to UVic, the Indigenous Studies major program launched in 2018.

At 21:37, Lauren McLean says “our office received permission from the Vancouver Island University to use the name Campus Cousins, because they have a similarly named program.” The Martlet verified that Vancouver Island University does have a program called the Su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins program, but could not verify that they provided IACE permission to use a similar name.

At 47:00, Lauren McLean says “each year we're seeing more and more Indigenous students enrolling at UVic.” The Martlet could not verify this fact.

At 50:44, Lauren McLean says “other universities don't have the same resources and the same commitment to their Indigenous students, and I think we get a lot of praise for how much we have.” The Martlet could not verify this fact.

At 52:00, Rae Dawson says “that has only been happening for the past 15 years, and this school has been here for at least 70.” UVic received degree-granting status as an independent university in 1963, or 62 years ago, but its origins trace back to Victoria College, which was founded 122 years ago, in 1903.

*Birds chirping*