Community
We strive to do what is right.
We are defenders.
On a historic day in October of 2011, the University of Manitoba issued a Statement of Apology and Reconciliation to Residential School Survivors at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). This statement was referred to by TRC chair and alumnus Murray Sinclair as “one of the more important gestures we have received as a commission.”
It was a crucial step in acknowledging a dark chapter of history while looking forward to new beginnings. Following the Statement of Apology and Reconciliation, the university hosted a series of open dialogues and photography exhibitions on residential schools and launched a series of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Learning Days. This allowed attendees to talk, share and open doors to stronger relationships.
The University of Manitoba is committed to building a society where First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, cultures and traditions are reflected and respected. To act on this commitment, this university has embarked on a new relationship with Indigenous peoples and communities.
A new web portal, Indigenous Connect was launched in 2012 – an online destination connecting students and staff with resources, opportunities and Indigenous knowledge. Mamawipawin, the world’s first research space dedicated to bringing scholars and Indigenous communities together, also opened its doors this year.
View the declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Bringing learning opportunities to the inner city
At an emotional and music-filled event, His Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, joined University President and Vice-Chancellor David Barnard, to celebrate the amazing breadth and scope of the University of Manitoba’s 190 inner city programs. A report led by the faculties of Medicine, Social Work, and Kinesiology and Recreation Management demonstrated how the University of Manitoba collaborates with community partners to create programs like the Inner City Science Centre Project, and The Bridge: Music Learning for Life. These programs ensure children and youth can realize their goals and become the next generation of visionaries, trailblazers and innovators.
FROM FIELD TO TABLE
Piglets, grain and groceries are the focus at the new Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre. The Centre opened in 2011 and its interactive exhibits and events let visitors explore the way food is made in Canada. The Centre is part of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and is located at the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station.
CAMPUS LIFE PROGRAM JOINS CONVOCATION
Special needs students at the University of Manitoba got the chance to don their cap and gown with fellow graduates at the 2011 Spring Convocation. This was the first time students in the Faculty of Education’s Campus Life Program participated in Convocation. The Campus Life program gives special needs students a university experience and convocation was a monumental achievement for these students, their families, and the Campus Life program.
SUMMER LEARNING IN THE inner city
The University of Manitoba inspired more than 150 Aboriginal, new Canadian and inner city students at the 5th annual Biomedical Youth Camp. This free, week-long camp gives 8 to 17-year-olds a chance to play, learn and discover things they may not normally be exposed to. In 2011, for the first time, the Biomedical Youth Camp was held at Niji Mahkwa School instead of at the U of M’s Bannatyne Campus. Niji Mahkwa is home to the Inner City Science Centre, developed in 2009 by the Faculty of Medicine in partnership with Winnipeg School Division and the Winnipeg Foundation.
Watch a video on the Biomedical Youth Camp.Watch David Barnard on the U of M's inner city connections
TRIO OF INDUCTEES
Three Faculty of Medicine professors were inducted as fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) in 2011. Drs. Stephen Moses, Noralou Roos and the Faculty’s dean, Brian Postl, were honoured at a ceremony in Ottawa in September. Fellows of the Academy are elected by their peers on the basis of their demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and commitment to advance academic health sciences. Membership is considered one of the highest honours for members of the Canadian health sciences community.
PUTTING SKILLS INTO PRACTICE
Nightmare Night Care, an inter-professional event where the clinical labs in the Faculty of Nursing become the “Helen Glass Hospital for Sick Students,” took place in February 2012. It provides students with the opportunity to understand the patient experience, practice skills required for inter-disciplinary teamwork for patient-centered care, experience night shift issues and responsibilities, and practice clinical skills in a safe environment. Twenty nursing students, 14 medical students and three pharmacy students participated in 2012.