What We do
Addressing the legacies of residential schools
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at UBC addresses the colonial legacy of residential schools and other harmful policies imposed upon Indigenous peoples by the Canadian government. The Centre facilitates dialogues and events, provides access to records, and shares information on the legacies of the residential school system to ensure that the history of residential schools is acknowledged, examined and understood within the UBC community. By centering Survivors and their stories, the IRSHDC provides a trauma-informed space where these difficult histories can be engaged with in a meaningful and informative way.
The Centre upholds Indigneous people’s inherent right to self-determination and supports the objectives of UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan by working in partnership with Survivors, families, and communities. The Centre is quickly establishing itself as a leading institution for conducting research and hosting events that are culturally-informed, reciprocal, and community-driven. As a Survivor-centred and trauma-informed space, the Centre works in service of Indigenous communities and peoples of Canada.
Facilitating community engagement and dialogue
Drawing upon community engagement, emerging technologies, and creative approaches to information sharing, the IRSHDC facilitates dialogue events and exhibitions for the UBC community and beyond to engage with the legacy of residential schools. Recognizing that many of its collections hold records of traumatic events and personal experiences, the Centre aims to provide respectful, equitable and transparent access to records and information by creating a safe space of inquiry.
Providing access to records and information through emerging technologies
The Centre utilizes digital technologies to facilitate public access to records and encourage critical engagement with the legacies of the residential school system. Improving accessibility of these records and pieces of information is crucial to challenging existing state narratives and educating the public about this dark chapter of Canada’s story. Digital technologies used at the Centre provide platforms where public “distrust” of records, systems, and narratives may be discussed, serving as a model for other libraries, archives and museums.
Building relationships with Survivors, communities, and partners
The IRSHDC has forged partnerships with people and organizations who are equally committed to engaging with the legacies of the residential school system and the ongoing impacts of colonialism in Canada. The Centre collaborates with partners such as the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, Survivors and their families, Indigenous community members, UBC faculty and research centres, and other partner institutions such as libraries, archives and museums at the local, provincial and national levels.
University class visits in 2019
Post-secondary student visitors in 2019
Reference and research requests
Mission and Vision
The Centre works in service of Indigenous communities and peoples of Canada.
Our Partners
The Centre collaborates and engages with partners at local, provincial and national levels.
