There are many Haida scholars at SFU doing amazing work in Haida language and cultural revitalization. There is a need for these students to mobilize and gather to share their ideas, research findings, and to support one another. The “Haida Nerds” project goal is to first bring Haida grad students together for support in monthly gatherings (a hybrid of virtual and in-person) to give one another support, share Haida language and traditions, discuss our schooling and research. Uniting the Haida students at SFU will also contribute to student retention and graduation as creating a family of scholars will improve mental and spiritual well-being.

But there is also a need for Haida researchers to engage with the Haida community on Haida Gwaii to ground their research, do meaningful participatory action work and contribute to Haida community scholarship. We will have the opportunity to network with organizations on Haida Gwaii and to engage and learn from elders, artists, youth, and other researchers we invite. The project will also engage Haida SFU students with the Haida Repatriation Committee, the Haida Gwaii Museum, the Haida language, the Bill Reid Centre, and the Bill Reid Gallery to strengthen the research for all. Students will share their research concepts and delve into the resources at the Bill Reid Centre where thousands of photographs and other archival resources are held and learn about the resources in the Haida community. These engagements will connect Haida students with other Haida experts in our fields and provide a supportive, interdisciplinary environment rooted in Haida epistemology, pedagogy, and axiology.