The Indigenous Student Centre has collaborated with Residence and Housing to pilot the Indigenous Student Cultural House (ISCH), a new living and learning community available SFU Residence (Burnaby Campus). The program began in September 2016 with a cultural cleanse of the town home facilitated by a local Coast Salish spiritual leader. The spiritual ceremony was to honour and recognize local Coast Salish ceremonial practices, the ceremony also provided the four house community members the opportunity to begin their semester with a strong foundation of cultural care and support. We have four SFU Indigenous students living as a community in one townhouse. ISCH community members develop leadership and peer mentorship skills, participate in cultural activities and work together to plan one Indigenous cultural event per semester to engage SFU residence community to participate, share and learn about Indigenous culture and peoples.
Indigenous Student Cultural House
Canadian Indigenous students who want to connect with other Indigenous students and build community through peer support, mentorship and leadership development opportunities can apply to live in this community. Students will participate in cultural and educational programming and engagement opportunities across campus and in the local community guided by SFU’s Indigenous Student Centre and a local cultural advisory committee.
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Eligibility: All Canadian Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) undergraduate students attending SFU
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Additional Cost: No additional cost.
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Program Length: September 2017 – April 2018
Note: Canadian Indigenous students are also welcome to apply to live in our other living-learning communities: Engaged Global Citizenship Community, Leadership through Service Learning Community, and the Beedie Undergraduate Community.
Highlights
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Explore your history, culture and identity with your peers
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Connect into SFU Indigenous Student Centre programs and support network
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Build community for Indigenous students in residence and across campus
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Develop leadership and peer mentorship skills
The house is currently filled for the Spring 2017 semester, applications are now being accepted for September 2017.
How You Benefit
Students who live in a living-learning community have a unique opportunity to live and learn with like-minded students and have access to programs specifically designed for their community. Students who live in LLCs also:
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Feel they made a smoother transition to university, academically and socially
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Have higher levels of academic self-confidence
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Are more likely to successfully engage in other projects like honours theses, study abroad opportunities, and research or capstone projects
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Are more likely to become student leaders and mentors
(National Study of Living-Learning Programs, 2007)
