Welcome to our special edition e-blast, in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day tomorrow! We are excited to share a special feature about Aboriginal Steering Committee member Jeremy Belyea, along with updates about recent events and additions to our Indigenitiatives team.

How Jeremy Belyea is Transforming Systems and Advancing Reconciliation

An integral part of the Aboriginal Steering Committee (ASC) at HELP, Jeremy Belyea is a proud member of the Ned’uten Dakelh/Lake Babine Nation, originating from the Raven clan and sitting as a guest of the Fireweed clan in Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan territory. Our first-ever ASC Profile looks at how Jeremy has pursued his passion for supporting children and youth for a number of years in the public sector, supporting First Nations leadership and systemic change.

Remembering Grandma Doris

With deeply saddened hearts, we said goodbye to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Elder and Matriarch Doris Fox. Many at HELP simply called her Grandma Doris. With open arms, Grandma Doris welcomed many HELP and ASC members every Friday at lunch over Zoom at Thank Grandmothers, It’s Friday. She led us in weekly teachings on how to live our best lives, including the reminder for us to stop "should-ing" all over ourselves. Every day she told us to put our bare feet onto Mother Earth — cold wet grass if we have to. We need to ground ourselves and come into connection and harmony with all of Creation. Her guidance and wisdom will be sadly missed.

Recent Gatherings

Event Recap: Spring Roots Circle

Faculty, staff, and students from UBC, as well as Indigenous community members and other learners, gathered on May 28 for the first Roots Circle: a day of speakers, activities, and networking to learn, share, and build community around Indigenous-led research. This event was hosted by HELP and the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health (CEIH) and is a part of the larger project, Creating Structures for Meaningful Indigenous Community and UBC Health Partnerships, which seeks to create a framework that helps support partnerships between Indigenous communities and UBC.

Paddling Together for Jurisdiction

Earlier this year, Erica Pepenvak and Jenna Lancaster (?Ixc’amgilakw) from the South Island Indigenous Authority (SIIA) joined HELP at the UBC Early Years Conference 2024 pre-conference event, to share about SIIA's journey towards reasserting jurisdiction over Indigenous children, youth and families on the South Island. They shared about the importance of disaggregated data within their planning processes and about how the Child Development Monitoring System data, collected by HELP,  aligns with many of their communities' stated priorities. We were lucky to have them join us once again, along with members of the ASC, in meeting with our provincial government partners to share their inspiring and powerful story. We hold our hands up to these two young leaders for all they are doing in support of children and families on their territories! To learn more about their work, visit SIIA's  website at www.siia.ca.

June ASC Gathering

Earlier this month, we gathered for the spring Aboriginal Steering Committee (ASC) meeting welcoming members of the ASC Committee and special guests Derek Thompson – Thlaapkiituup, Director, Indigenous Engagement in the Faculty of Medicine, the Honourable Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development and Monique Auger, Researcher and Instructor in Indigenous Health, UVic, for conversations, sharing, and planning with various HELP faculty, staff, and students. As always, we are incredibly grateful to work alongside ASC members who share HELP's common interest in improving developmental outcomes for all First Nation, Métis, and Inuit children and youth in BC.

Interested in joining the ASC? We are currently looking for new members! 

Expanding Our Team

We are excited to share that our Indigenous Initiatives team is growing! Please join us in welcoming new staff members, Dakota Anderberg and Aria Viveiros! We are thrilled that they will join Sophie Carriere and Kinwa Bluesky as part of the Indigenous Initiatives team at HELP!

Kinwa Bluesky

Sophie Carriere

Dakota Anderberg

Aria Viveiros

Dakota Anderberg is from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation on her mother’s side, and mixed European ancestry on her father’s side. As the Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator, Dakota will develop, build, and maintain meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations. Learn More

Aria Viveiros is Laxskiik (Eagle Clan) of the Gitxsan Nation, with ancestral ties to the Ha’isla Nation, and mixed European ancestry. Aria will support the creation of meaningful structures for Indigenous community and UBC health partnerships as a Research Assistant for a partnered project between HELP and the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health (CEIH). Learn More

Image Credit: Carriere, Sophie 2024

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The Human Early Learning Partnership is situated within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) People.