Mission and Vision
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC was established to address the colonial legacy of residential schools and other harmful policies imposed upon Indigenous peoples by the Canadian government, and to ensure the history of residential schools is acknowledged, examined and understood within the UBC community. The IRSHDC is Survivor-centered and was created to serve all Indigenous communities and peoples in Canada.
The Centre is mandated to undertake ethical and culturally informed exploration of residential school records and related information. All work conducted by the Centre is done in meaningful partnership with Indigenous communities and peoples with the intention of building respectful long-term relationships with Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, and Indigenous communities across Canada.
Goals and Activities
- Providing access to records and information for Survivors and their families in a safe, respectful and trauma-informed way
- Centering Survivors and their stories in the collection of materials and oral histories
- Facilitating meaningful and critical dialogue about the difficult histories of residential schools
- Curating IRS records and information in the development of exhibitions and resources to support education, research, and public engagement through emergent technologies
- Developing content and resources in collaborative ways to present different perspectives, develop new understandings, and support agency for those affected by the IRSS and its legacies
- Challenging hierarchies and colonial narratives to educate and inform the public in practical and theoretical ways
- Engaging with academic and community collaborators to ensure policies, practices, systems and protocols related to records and information sharing are collaboratively developed with Indigenous community partners
“Indigenous Peoples have been the subject of study and academic intrusion in our lives – the ownership and control of Indigenous knowledge was not acknowledged, honoured or respected. New partnerships must begin with a foundation of agreement, respect and support for Indigenous knowledge and experience.”
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-kwe
Academic Director, IRSHDC