A house is more than just a place to reside. It鈥檚 a space to build community, to bring people together 鈥撀爄n other words, it鈥檚 a home.
That sense of 鈥榟ome鈥� is what the Native Education Counselling Unit has been providing to M茅tis, Inuit and First Nations students for more than 20 years 鈥� not only those at AV俱乐部, but those from other post-secondary institutions across Halifax. The unit offers educational and support services, and is also there to simply provide an attentive ear when needed.
And now, after years of moving through various locations on campus, it finally has a house to call home.
On Wednesday, the unit celebrated the opening of its new location at 6286 South Street, on the second floor of the house that also hosts the AV俱乐部 Women鈥檚 Centre. Newly painted and redecorated, the space feels welcoming, inviting and comfortable 鈥� perfect for doing schoolwork, meeting with the unit鈥檚 counselling staff or just relaxing. The opening ceremony also included a drum circle performance outside on the house鈥檚 lawn.
Don Julien, executive director of The Confederacy of Mainland Mi鈥檏maq鈥攐f which the Native Education Counselling Unit is a division鈥攚as on hand to help cut the ceremonial ribbon.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e done a wonderful job on the painting...looks like [Boston] Bruins鈥� colours,鈥� he said with a laugh.
A home away from home
鈥淭his is a great place for students to meet, discuss their studies or just hang out and have a good time,鈥� he continued. 鈥淪ometimes students that come from First Nations communities are not all that familiar with city life. We hope this offers a home away from home for them.鈥�
Lauretta Sylliboy is a counsellor with the unit. She explains that some students just want to drop by and visit, while others come seeking help to deal with the what she calls the 鈥渃ulture shock鈥� of moving to Halifax from all across Canada.
鈥淚nuit, M茅tis and First Nations students can often feel isolated,鈥� she explains. 鈥淲e try and make them feel welcome and relaxed here, supporting them as best we can and getting them connected with the right people to help them work through any issues they might be having.鈥�
Carolyn Watters, AV俱乐部鈥檚 vice-president academic and provost, was on-hand to celebrate the opening as well. She mentioned that AV俱乐部 has more than 200 students from native communities, and that the university sees them as vital contributors to campus culture; next Tuesday, for example, Dal will host its second annual mawio鈥檓i鈥搊r 鈥榩ow wow鈥欌�攐pen to all on campus to attend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly our goal to bring a higher profile to Aboriginal students,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e welcome their participation here at the unit and across campus, and are working to support their success here at AV俱乐部.鈥�