Royal Roads University acknowledges the campus is located on the traditional Lands of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. With gratitude, we live, work and learn here where the past, present and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff come together.
Hay'sxw'qa si'em!
Overview and purpose
The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training has provided Royal Roads University with funds for pilot projects that directly engage faculty in centering reconciliation, Indigenization, and decolonization. The goal of these initiatives is to enhance the post-secondary educational experiences and outcomes for Indigenous students.
The funding is rooted in our commitment to the following principles:
- We acknowledge that Indigenous peoples lived in the lands we now call Canada since time immemorial. We specifically acknowledge the Xwsepsum and Lekwungen families and ancestors upon whose traditional lands the Royal Roads campus is located.
- We acknowledge and respect the diversity of Indigenous peoples across Canada and around the world and their ownership of their cultures.
- We recognize the strength and resiliency of Indigenous peoples.
- Immigrant-descendants and immigrants have a part to play in creating a new way forward with Indigenous peoples, no matter what their ancestry is or where they were born.
- We are committed to having the difficult conversations that are a natural part of change, and we affirm the right of everyone to be treated with respect as we navigate these conversations and changes together.
Based on broad consultation with our Heron People Circle of Old Ones/Elders, Chiefs of our host and local nations, Indigenous students and our university community, our planning framework includes six core elements that are intended to put these principles into action.
Six core elements
- Respecting and learning from the people of these lands
- Promoting understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being
- Committing to learning about the past and its impact on Indigenous Peoples
- Celebrating Indigenous cultures
- Applying Indigenous protocols to research with Indigenous peoples
- Contributing to repairing the effects of oppression of Indigenous peoples
Eligibility
- This funding opportunity is available to Core Faculty for projects that are one year in duration.
- Faculty members can only hold one New Ways Fund award at a time.
Funding details
- The number of successful awards will be based on the funding available. The amount will be reviewed annually.
- Awards will normally not exceed $5,000; however, initiatives with higher requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- The term of the award is one year. All funds are expected to be expended within one year.
Selection criteria
- A clear connection to one or more of the six core elements and how they will be achieved.
- How the proposed initiative might support and or contribute to the post-secondary educational experiences for Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students.
- The clarity of the project design.
Adjudication
All applications will undergo a review process, adjudicated by the Director of Research and Innovation, the Vice-Provost, Student and Academic Services and chaired by the Director of Indigenous Education.
Post-award project changes
Should award recipients not be able to complete the research within one year, they may request a one-year extension with justification and with a revised timeline. Any unused funds will be returned to the fund.
How to apply
Please email your application to the Internal Research Grants Coordinator at RRUInternalAwards@RoyalRoads.ca.