Laurier field course removes barriers to learning abroad for Indigenous students

Dec. 10, 2024

Studying abroad offers exciting opportunities to engage in experiential learning, develop intercultural competencies and advance career skills. But less than two percent of Canadian postsecondary students studying abroad are Indigenous. For many Indigenous students, finances, family responsibilities and cultural commitments can create barriers to engaging in academic experiences away from home.  

A course offered by Wilfrid Laurier University aimed to change that.  

In August 2024, nine Indigenous students from Laurier travelled to Auckland, New Zealand as part of a two-week field course to learn about Māori culture. Offered by the Department of Indigenous Studies, Law and Social Justice in partnership with Laurier’s Global Engagement team and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the course introduced students to aspects of Māori culture through lectures by Māori faculty members at the University of Auckland, intercultural experiences with Māori students and visits to sites of significance throughout Auckland.  

Keri Cheechoo, assistant professor of Indigenous Studies, led the course with support from Emily Daniel, manager of Indigenous student services, and Deanna Yerichuk, assistant professor in the Faculty of Music.  

All aspects of the course – content and assessment, length of delivery, pre-departure support, intercultural experiences and tuition assistance – removed the barriers to global learning opportunities identified by Indigenous students at Laurier in the 2021 research report “Overcoming Barriers to Study Abroad for Better Engagement of Indigenous Students” published by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Laurier International’s Global Engagement unit.  

“Indigenous students want to participate in global learning opportunities but can face additional challenges in doing so,” says Daniel. “Offering an Indigenous studies course and intentionally expanding the learning beyond a North American context was an excellent way to support Indigenous students at Laurier in their ability to learn abroad.”  

To alleviate financial barriers to participating, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Global Engagement applied for funding through Global Skills Opportunity (GSO). GSO supports outbound student mobility projects for marginalized student groups and is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada. Laurier received $130,000 in funding to cover course tuition, travel and accommodation.  

“International experiences help students build future-ready skills, broaden their perspectives and empower them in their academic, professional, and personal journeys,” says Phyllis Power, manager of global engagement programs at Laurier. “The generous support from Global Skills Opportunity helped us make global learning a reality for Indigenous students.” 

Fourth-year student Emily Phillips was one of nine participants in the course. Phillips, a member of the Beausoleil First Nation in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, saw the course as an opportunity to add strong intercultural skills and experiences to her resume.  

“Looking at job descriptions, many employers value intercultural skills and experiences,” says Phillips. “This experience allowed me to learn new skills, reflect on other Indigenous cultures and myself. It made a really positive impact on me.” 

The field course kicked off in the School of Music at the University of Auckland where students engaged in a pōwhiri, a traditional Māori welcoming ceremony featuring speeches, dance and song. During a pōwhiri, a Māori woman calls out to the guests, who respond as a group by sharing their identity and origin. Next, a Māori man gives an oration before guests enter the host’s space and are offered food. The ceremony concludes with hongi, a greeting where the host and a member of the guest group press noses, symbolizing shared breath. 

Laurier students answered the Māori calling by introducing themselves individually, as they are from different Indigenous communities across Ontario, and concluded their introductions by singing and drumming “Strong Women’s Song.” Many wore ribbon skirts, beaded jewellery and other items which represent their heritage and communities.  

“The pōwhiri was a beautiful experience,” says Daniel. “In that moment, all the work and planning to make this course happen hit me – we had successfully brought nine Indigenous students across the world to participate in a cross-cultural experience of learning and sharing. It was so powerful and moving for me.” 

Other on-campus experiences included lectures about Māori culture, connecting with Māori students and student clubs, and attending kapa haka practice – a form of Māori performing arts featuring group dance, singing and chants. 

“It was a wonderful opportunity to make and hold space for the Māori scholars to share their inherent brilliance with our group,” says Cheechoo. “This was a life-changing experience.”  

Off campus, students travelled to Waiheke Island to tour its hub, Oneroa Village, and its beaches, markets and gardens. The group also visited Hell’s Gate, a geothermal mud spa in Rotorua, the Pohutu Geyser, and the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Te Puia. 

During their last evening in Auckland, Laurier students taught their Māori Studies lecturers how to bead, a cultural practice within many Indigenous communities in Canada but not New Zealand.  

“One of our students created a bead pattern that included the silver fern, New Zealand’s national plant, and a kiwi,” says Phillips. “It was a really cool creative piece that merged symbols and cultural practices.” 

Students kept a reflective journal throughout the course to document their observations and experiences. Cheechoo graded students on the culminating assignment, an audio reflection of their learnings from the field course. In her submission, Phillips noted the widespread use of Māori language in New Zealand, which appears on road signs with some common words and phrases used by non-Indigenous New Zealanders. She also found New Zealand to be further on its reconciliation journey with the Māori than Canada is with its Indigenous populations.  

“My paternal grandfather spoke Anishinaabe, but he died before he could pass the language onto my father, so language is something I missed out on growing up,” says Phillips. “I really admire the Māori for having their language and using it so widely throughout the country.” 

The field course marks the first major collaboration between the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Laurier's Global Engagement unit. Daniel hopes that future funding opportunities will allow the two offices to offer additional global learning opportunities to Indigenous students at Laurier.