What an amazing experience I was able to witness thanks to Dr. Mukwa Musayett, as her “Privileging Indigenous Oral Traditions and Storywork in International Indigenous Research” class ended at 5:20, just before my “Educating for Social Change” class started at 5:30 every Monday and Wednesday in May-June, 2025
It was such a meaningful connection to see how international MEd students learn Indigenous research methods, followed immediately by BSW students engaging with educating for social change. Thanks to CFJC Today’s coverage, I could appreciate the full depth of what these international students from India, Iran, Bangladesh, and beyond had experienced—six weeks immersed in Indigenous ways of knowing, learning Secwepemctsin language, building traditional drums with elder Norman Retasket, and participating in on-the-land ceremonies with elder Colleen Seymour.
Dr. Mukwa Musayett graciously invited her class to come to our “Invisible No More: A Forum to Honour Students who Care” to encourage and share with our students. While my students had the opportunity to smell the feast from her class, we held our sharing circle and knowledge exchange focused on what we can do better in educating for social change. The timing created a beautiful bridge between two transformative educational experiences.
The courses became a powerful space where different approaches to transformative education could happen. Learning how these international students discovered that “no borders can separate us” through Indigenous teachings provided profound insights for our discussion about student caregivers and the Love Care Share Scholarship Fund. The principles of respect, reciprocity, and relationship that Dr. Mukwa Musayett’s students had learned through Indigenous pedagogy resonated deeply with our focus on recognizing care as valuable, skilled work.
Dr. Mukwa Musayett’s thoughtful feedback on how we can keep improving our class was invaluable, especially as we explored how caring for others develops the exact skills our communities need—crisis management, emotional intelligence, advocacy, and resilience.
It’s so great to have Dr. Mukwa Musayett’s leadership in indigenizing higher education, and then we can learn what changes we can bring to educating for social change. The course that TRU offers in summer in the Arts and Education building showed how Indigenous ways of knowing and social change education can inform and strengthen each other.
I’m looking forward to next year and hope the schedule will align again so we can do some projects together. There’s something powerful about these educational journeys intersecting, especially when they both center care, community, and transformation. 🙏
To read more about Dr. Mukwa Musayett’s last class, check the link: CFJC Today: TRU international students reflect on course that immerses them in Indigenous traditions