Mentorship and community shape the Indigenous UNIV 304 experience

Mentorship is at the heart of the recent Indigenous student-focused section of UNIV 304: Experiential Learning in the Workplace, where students explore career paths through relationships, community and hands-on experience.

Celebrating their accomplishments with an end-of-term feast, instructors Dr. Adela Kincaid and Dr. Christine Martineau, Gillian Robertson, and fourth-year Indigenous Studies undergraduate student Vienna Williams-Wright were among those who gathered to connect, share experiences and honour the relationships, learning and growth that shaped their 13-week journey together.

In this blog Q&A, each shares their perspectives on why mentorship matters, and how meaningful relationships can help students build confidence, discover their strengths and feel supported as they navigate the transition from university to the workplace.

Vienna: The mentorship component of UNIV 304 provided me with valuable guidance and support throughout the course. Being able to share my experiences, ask questions, and receive feedback from my placement mentor, professors, Elders, and presenters helped me feel more confident in my learning. Their guidance allowed me to learn from others’ experiences and apply their advice throughout my placement with the Learning Technology and Design Team at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. Through these relationships, I came to recognize that learning is not only about gaining knowledge, but also about connecting with others and reflecting on their perspectives.

A key learning from this experience was the importance of relationships in teaching, learning, and professional development. Through my placement, I was able to build meaningful connections, develop transferable workplace skills, and gain confidence in my abilities. My experiences with my placement mentor, professors, and Elders reminded me that learning can happen through listening, reflection, and the knowledge and perspectives shared by others.

Gillian: From the beginning, we wanted to design a course where mentorship wasn't an add-on, but something woven into the students' entire experience. By bringing together instructors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, community partners and placement supervisors, we created multiple opportunities for students to build relationships, learn from different perspectives and see themselves reflected in the people supporting their journey. For me, that intentional design was key to creating a learning environment where students could feel a sense of community while also building confidence for the workplace.

Christine: What stood out to me most was how mentorship became reciprocal — not something simply given to students, but something everyone in the course could experience through relationships, shared knowledge and learning from one another.

Mentorship was an inherent component of the Indigenized section of UNIV 304 because it was grounded in Indigenous principles of relationality, reciprocity and respect for self and others. We saw mentorship at all levels — among instructors with different backgrounds and experiences, among the students themselves, and through our relationships with Elders, presenters and placement partners. Seeing the students succeed reinforced for me how important it is to centre good relations in teaching and learning, and how much those relationships can enrich the experience for everyone involved.

Adela: One of the most rewarding parts of the course was seeing mentorship help students feel connected and supported as they discovered their strengths and built relationships that extended beyond the classroom.

Mentorship was integral to creating the relational, community-centred space we envisioned for UNIV 304, where students could learn through intergenerational guidance, knowledge sharing and lived experiences. I believe those relationships foster a stronger sense of connection, belonging and respect. Watching students develop lasting connections with one another, their instructors and their work placements demonstrated to me the impact mentorship can have on both learning and personal growth.