About Us
The MCIEB is a collaborative initiative that aims to prioritize excellence in Indigenous education throughout Manitoba. Together we are working to expand educational opportunities for Indigenous learners, integrate Indigenous knowledge into education, and promote reconciliation in our province.
Land Treaty Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that these territories are the original lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininwak, Dakota, and Dene peoples, the national homeland of the Red River Métis, and the ancestral lands of the Inuit in northern Manitoba and we pay our respects to these peoples.
Mission
Our mission is to prioritize excellence in Indigenous education by working in alignment with Indigenous ways of knowing and being. We promote equity in education by increasing access and opportunities for learning among Indigenous learners in Manitoba, recognizing their unique cultural backgrounds and supporting their academic and personal development.
Vision
The MCIEB Signatory Partners are committed to making excellence in Indigenous education a priority in our province. The MCIEB partners aim to increase access to education for all Indigenous learners from recruitment to retention and to embed Indigenous knowledge and content at all levels of education.
Values
We embrace a set of core values that guide our actions and shape our shared purpose. We deeply value the connections we have with all beings and recognize the importance of interdependence in achieving our goals. We are committed to fostering a coordinating process that evolves and adapts to meet the needs of our community, working together across working groups, institutions, and collaborative projects. We are dedicated to upholding the Seven Sacred Teachings: Respect (The Bison), Courage (The Bear), Humility (The Wolf), Love (The Eagle), Wisdom (The Beaver), Honesty (The Sabe), and Truth (The Turtle). These teachings guide our interactions and inspire us to strive for excellence in Indigenous education in Manitoba.
Our History
On December 18, 2015, Manitoba’s six universities, three colleges, and the Manitoba School Boards Association signed the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint – an official partnership agreeing to advance 10 commitments informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. A steering committee was then established to guide the work of moving the Blueprint commitments forward.
Since the initial signing, each partner has made considerable progress in fulfilling the Blueprint commitments through increasing access to services, programs and supports for Indigenous students; bringing Indigenous knowledge, culture and approaches into curriculum and pedagogy; and creating more opportunities for everyone to understand the history of colonization, Treaties, Residential Schools and the contemporary realities that Indigenous Peoples in Canada experience.
In 2022, a Blueprint Management team was hired to advance collaborative projects that advance the Blueprint commitments. The first annual Blueprint Indigenous Education Gathering was held in March, 2023 bringing together over 170 people from across the province to explore three priority areas: affirming the rightful place of Indigenous Knowledge in academic; closing the digital divide in Northern and remote communities; and credit transfer strategies to promote student mobility in the area of Indigenous language.
On Friday, April 14, 2023, Manitoba’s six universities, three colleges and the Manitoba School Boards Association gathered to reaffirm their commitment to making Indigenous education a priority in Manitoba. The Blueprint partners also welcomed three new but long-standing ex-officio members, who became official signatory partners – The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and the Province of Manitoba Advanced Education and Training and Education and Early Childhood Learning.
Going Forward
As Indigenous, students continue to face barriers to equitable education in Manitoba, the re-signing of the Blueprint and the renewed commitment to prioritizing Indigenous education is as important today as it was in 2015. By working together to accomplish what cannot be achieved individually, the Blueprint partners believe in the ability to change the legacy of the educational system in Canada.
A special thank you to Dr. Michael F.B. Nesbitt and the Mastercard Foundation whose support has made the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint possible.
