The World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics is pleased to announce the launch of our new Indigenous Education Affinity Group. 
This new Affinity Group will be chaired by Kory Wilson, Kwakwaka’wakw from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia and the executive director of Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
The vision of the Indigenous Education Affinity Group is to:
- Allow those interested to connect and work together to advance the voice of Indigenous people and rid the Academy of systemic barriers that have long marginalised Indigenous learners,
- Provide input on advocacy priorities and positions related to Indigenous education and skills development,
- Act as a forum to enable leaders and Indigenous education practitioners of associations, institutes and affiliates committed to professional and technical education and training (PTET) to support each other and build capacity to serve Indigenous learners and communities in every country,
- Advise on the issues related to Indigenous education in PTET around the world and provide input on position and research papers related to Indigenous education and skills development, and
- Identify recommendations to the WFCP membership on how to advance Indigenous education in PTET, provide guidance for the development of Indigenous education events and meetings, and promote the role of PTET in Indigenous education.
The Indigenous Education Affinity Group will be comprised of leaders and members of PTET that have in place Indigenization strategies and systems or would like to establish them and learn from others who have more expertise in the field.
How to join: If you are interested in joining the group and helping shape its mandate, email Kory Wilson at kory_wilson@bcit.ca with IEAG in the subject line. Please include (1) a brief introduction, (2) your current position, (3) your nation (if you are Indigenous) and (4) what you think this Affinity Groups can do. The group’s first Zoom meeting will take place once this information has been compiled.
More information about the Affinity Group can be found here.