On February 28, 2020, the Heads of Media, Arts and Design (HOMAD) held their triannual meeting, this time at the Story Arts Centre. HOMAD meetings occur at various colleges across Ontario in the Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer, and are an opportunity to come together to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and best practices within media, arts, and design. Dean Nate Horowitz, says, “Our focus is on that which affects our students around media, arts, and design, and also how to get our stories out.”
The theme of the meeting was Indigenization: the act of incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing and doing and recognizing the validity of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Barry Waite, Academic Chair, Communications & Media, says, “The main focus of the meeting was Indigenization and it really focused on reconciliation and relationship building… It was an opportunity to listen to some of the experts to give us direction, for us to think about where it is that we’re going, and a learning opportunity.”
The morning focused heavily on this theme. Horowitz says, “It was for Deans and Chairs who need some help in starting on the work surrounding Indigenization in their College. It seems as though most of the colleges have started work on it and working with Indigenous people.” Mary Wabano, Director of the First Peoples’ Centre and Associate Dean of the School of Indigenous Studies at Canadore College, spoke about the process of Indigenization in curriculum and some of the challenges that Indigenous students can face. Following this, there was a panel discussion that included individuals from Humber and Fanshawe Colleges who work with Indigenous students. Waite says, “It was useful to hear about some of the issues that Indigenous students can have on campus; how do we create safe spaces for Indigenous students to feel comfortable but also how we can better tell Indigenous stories and harness the power of Indigenous storytelling.”
Commitment 3 in Centennial’s Book of Commitments, is Indigenize our College, which demonstrates Centennial’s commitment to Indigenization and how it has already been, and will continue to be, implemented. Waite says, “The one thing we’ve always recognized, which was reinforced by our colleagues that were [at the meeting], is that it’s a slow and deliberate process that has to be done carefully. A lot of it is around listening to people who are working with Indigenous students, but also who have experience in traditional learnings and can guide us in terms of how we look at Indigenizing the curriculum.”
Waite also says, “It’s important to get Indigenous perspectives on the direction we should be going and it’s also the opportunity for us to understand what the challenges are and how we can work in harmony with our Indigenous partners to overcome those.”
This morning's Heads of Media, Arts and Design meeting hosted @CentennialEDU with Mary Wabano @CanadoreCollege :
— Marilyn Herie (@MarilynHerie) February 28, 2020
"Self-determination begins in the classroom"
#TruthandReconciliation #IndigenousEducation #decolonize
In the afternoon, the discussion took a new direction and provided a chance for each College to discuss what they have achieved within media, arts, and design. Horowitz says, “We talked about the competition with each other and with the Universities, and how we can also work with them and with each other. We talked about the Government and the Ministries and what impact some of their policies have, both positive and negative, on our programming across Ontario.”
A key element at HOMAD meetings is to discuss where there are collaboration opportunities. Horowitz says, “The focus is really about telling our stories and combining our strengths to really tell parents that their children can make a very good living in communications, media, arts, and design.” Similarly, Waite says, “One of the guiding objects for HOMAD is to look at how do we support the message year-round that there are good careers in media arts and design. There is often still a feeling from parents that this is an area with no future.”
The meeting generated great discussions on important issues, since improving the student experience at Centennial, as well as ensuring inclusion for all, are always top priorities.
By: Alexandra Few, Communications - Professional Writing Student