"Many Indigenous students come from areas where they have extensive Indigenous community networks and find University life in new places like McGill very isolating," says Ben Geboe, who graduated from McGill’s Social Work PhD program in 2021 and was a student who benefited from Indigenous Access McGill during his studies.
McGill is located in Tiohtià:ke or Montreal, on the traditional lands of the Haundenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishnabeg people. This is an important part of the context in which Indigenous Access McGill exists. Indigenous Access McGill aims to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis students in the School of Social Work throughout their time at McGill, from recruitment to graduation.
That support comes in different forms. It includes creating opportunities to forge community networks through social events, an annual retreat and more. It also means creating opportunities and making resources available to ensure success at McGill. There are application supports, personalized orientation sessions, tutoring and mentorships, as well as an Indigenous field course — a multidisciplinary course for students that focuses on Indigenous community engagement in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake north of Montreal on the Lake of Two Mountains.
This work aims to both increase Indigenous perspectives in the Social Work curriculum and respect and celebrate the cultural connections that students carry with them when they come to McGill.