Graduates reflect on learning towards truth and reconciliation

Conversations about truth and reconciliation can feel complex, emotional and difficult to navigate. For Cindy Go and Lindsay Currie, University of Calgary Continuing Education’s Towards Truth and Reconciliation Certificate offered a structured space to learn from Indigenous instructors, reflect with others, and build confidence to carry that learning into their professional and personal lives.

The multi-course professional certificate deepens understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and connecting, with a focus on applying reconciliation learning to workplace policies, processes and relationships.

Choosing to learn in community

Go, a people and culture manager for the design practice DIALOG, enrolled because she wanted more than self-directed learning. She was looking for a live, relational environment that allowed for conversation, reflection and accountability.

“I decided to enrol in the Towards Truth and Reconciliation certificate because I was looking for a space to deepen my understanding within a learning community,” says Go. “The certificate provided a welcoming space to learn in depth directly from Indigenous instructors together with other learners across Canada, Indigenous and non-Indigenous.”

For Currie, an event co-ordinator at UCalgary, the program offered professional development that would better inform her work with Indigenous partners.

“Our team works really closely with the Office of Indigenous Engagement, and I felt like that was a good bridge for me to learn about past histories and how to approach my events now a little more meaningfully,” says Currie.

Recognizing what was missing

Both graduates entered the program with limited knowledge of Indigenous histories in Canada, despite growing up and working within Canadian institutions.

“Before I started the program, my understanding of Canadian Indigenous history was limited,” says Go. “There was a gap in my Canadian elementary and high school education, and I wanted to take responsibility for my learning. This program allowed me to explore both historical and contemporary Indigenous contexts and uncover what is possible in our path forward together.”

Currie recalls a similar realization early in the program. “I grew up in the ’90s, so I was just given the surface level of past Indigenous histories and cultural teachings,” she says. 

Instructor Brenda St. Germain says that recognition is central to the program’s purpose. A Métis Cree woman with decades of experience across government, community organizations and frontline services, St. Germain helps learners move beyond introductory awareness to build knowledge, confidence and practical tools for meaningful engagement.

“I am diligent to ensure students have material that prepares them with the current, and sometimes harsh realities, of working with Indigenous communities and peoples,” she says. “My goal is to help guide them to feel confident in their approach and be authentic when they begin working collaboratively with Indigenous organizations and peoples.”

Learning that asks something of you

The certificate asks learners to engage with humility, reflection and care. Go describes the experience as meaningful and demanding.

“The course is a significant commitment, including an emotional one,” says Go. “Some topics are sensitive and heavy, but they were delivered in a very comprehensive and respectful way.”

She credits the instructors for fostering aa meaningful learning environment.

“The instructors were intentional about creating not just a safe space, but an accountable space,” says Go. “This means everyone shares responsibility to show up thoughtfully and respectfully.”

For Currie, the connection created early in the program helped her stay engaged with challenging material.

“Once you get into that first classroom setting, even though it’s online, you do feel a bond with other people,” says Currie. “It’s a vulnerable space, but everybody makes you feel comfortable. That sense of connection helped me to change my perspective.”

Bringing learning into practice

A central focus of the certificate is helping learners apply reconciliation learning in real-world contexts. For Go, the program reshaped how she thinks about systems, participation and decision making. She later applied its teachings to a research project exploring non-colonial approaches in design.

“I worked with an architect and a landscape architect as a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborators to explore non-colonial approaches in design,” says Go. “The certificate helped us understand how existing systems can limit meaningful participation and relationship building.”

Currie says the learning strengthened her confidence in navigating sensitive conversations and building relationships at work.St. Germain says that kind of application is a defining feature of the program. “Almost every student uses the course material to develop a policy or strategy in their working position,” she says. “Each student has been thoughtful in how to apply the information in a way that works within their own organization.”

Learners have developed recruitment and retention strategies for Indigenous employees, strengthened relationships with local First Nations and created reconciliation-focused organizational plans.

Reconciliation practices that go beyond roles

The program brings together learners from many professional backgrounds, which Go says enriched the experience.

“My classmates came from health care, education, accounting, city planning and human resources,” says Go. “It removes professional boundaries and focuses on understanding Indigenous perspectives across all sectors.”

Currie believes the learning is relevant well beyond specific roles or industries. “I think the certificate can be valuable for anybody,” says Currie. “Whether you work with an Indigenous group or you just want to brush up on your knowledge of Indigenous history within Canada.”

For those considering enrolling, Go offers practical advice. “Give yourself space,” says Go. “This is not a light commitment. The learning is deep and requires a lot of self-reflection.”

For both graduates, the certificate marks the beginning of an ongoing journey that continues to shape how they approach their work, relationships and responsibilities within Canada.

St. Germain adds that reconciliation learning can involve difficult conversations and self-reflection, but its purpose is truthful education, not shame.

“The atrocities that happened can’t be undone, but Truth and Reconciliation is about truthful education,” she says. “The students are eager to learn how to become strong allies who will make a difference and not become part of a performative model.”