Creating a place where Indigenous students feel like they belong

The transformation of Lucinda House into the new Nadjiwan Kaandossiwin Gamik Indigenous Centre will soon get underway. The two-storey, 2200 square foot heritage home bordering Laurier's Waterloo campus will be renovated and enhanced to offer greater programming, better service delivery, and improved visibility on campus.

The redevelopment is part of Laurier’s efforts to eliminate barriers for Indigenous learners and create an environment where indigeneity is part of the core experience of all students, faculty and staff. For Indigenous students facing societal and community barriers to higher education, the key to success in school and beyond depends on removing obstacles.

Nadjiwan Kaandossiwin Gamik – Beautiful Place of Learning – will be a place where students feel they can find support, safety and respite; a place where they belong.

“Many of our students are first-generation students, coming from northern communities or reserves where no one from their family or community has attended university,” said Jean Becker, senior advisor, Indigenous initiatives. We help them to navigate the system and provide important support in an unfamiliar environment. We always use the term home away from home.”

The renewal, fuelled by funding from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, helps close the gap in education for Indigenous people and build much-needed capacity in Indigenous education and programming.