Niagara College Canada

Findings

Explore the Report

• Introduction
• Findings
• Methodology
• Conclusion

Introduction

Katsistiyó – it’s a good fire – began as an initiative to better understand and support Indigenous learners at Niagara College through a process grounded in relationship, presence, and student voice. Collect. Connect. Spark. Nurture. Return. These guiding stages shaped the approach to engagement across both campuses, emphasizing steady participation, trust-building, and opportunities for students to speak on their own terms. At its core, Katsistiyó is about energizing Indigenous students to light the good fires: adding to student bundles, amplifying student voices, and helping set intentional paths for their futures. The project recognizes that the journey through education for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students is distinct, and that Niagara College must adapt to Indigenous learners rather than expecting Indigenous learners to continually adapt to the institution.

The work of this project grew through ongoing conversations, cultural drop-ins, land‑based activities, and everyday interactions where students reflected openly on their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. These insights were not gathered as data points but as expressions of lived experience offered in community spaces where trust, continuity, and shared purpose guided the dialogue. The intention was to understand the conditions that help Indigenous learners thrive and to identify what still needs to be strengthened within the College environment. The findings that emerged reflect what students offered directly and consistently over many months and through multiple forms of engagement.

The use of a fire ‑based framework for this report is rooted in the territorial contexts of both the Onödowá’ga:’/Seneca and the Michi‑Saagiig/Mississauga peoples – two First Nations with deep connections in Niagara. Every Haudenosaunee person, from a young age through adulthood, would have been expected to have at least a basic understanding of how to prepare for, light, tend, and eventually reset fire grounds by returning the earth to its original shape. This is a practical skill with cultural, historical, and communal value, yet outside of a few specific programs it would not typically be viewed today as something that carries meaningful weight in advancing the journey of a Niagara College Indigenous student.

Findings

The feedback gathered from Indigenous students across both campuses tells a consistent story about what supports their success, what gets in the way, and what they want Niagara College to understand. Students offered reflections with honesty, humour, frustration, pride, and a deep desire to see the College meet them where they are. The themes below reflect what students told us directly through engagement sessions, cultural drop-ins, and circles, and were echoed by a short survey completed by 35 learners who self-identified as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis. Most importantly, there were a lot of everyday conversations, the places where trust is built and truth is spoken, that informed these findings.

These findings do not represent data extracted from students; they represent their voices, their experiences, and their hopes for how Niagara College can walk alongside them. The survey served to broaden participation and corroborate what was already being shared in relational spaces: nearly all Indigenous respondents who answered (≈97%) said they want to learn more about Indigenous cultures as part of their College experience, underscoring the strong demand for programming grounded in culture, ceremony, and Indigenous knowledge.

By the midpoint of the project, we had regular, ongoing relationships with approximately a dozen students at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake and roughly fifty to sixty students at the Welland Campus – representing about a quarter of Indigenous students accessing the lounge and related services. These students were eager to inform the project and offered extensive feedback about what supports them and what barriers remain.

Their input came through:

• Weekly MPOWER circles
• Tea and Talk and Eat and Chat drop-ins
• Cultural programming and land-based activities
• Surveys and informal conversations
• Shared stories during academic, social, and wellness events
• Reflections during larger group gatherings and campus tours

Across all these spaces, three clear themes emerged: Respect, Knowledge, and Belonging.

Together, these conditions work like a good fire: visibility without respect will not keep this fire tended; curriculum without belonging will not sustain it. The sections that follow reflect each theme in the voices of Indigenous students and point to the actions that help the College prepare, tend, and carry the work forward.

Respect

Indigenous Students Need Respectful, Knowledgeable, and Culturally Safe Learning Environments.

Students repeatedly expressed that the broader College environment — particularly the classroom — does not consistently feel safe or respectful. Many shared experiences where faculty lacked basic awareness of Indigenous identity, culture, and lived realities. Some examples included professors openly questioning cultural clothing, making insensitive comments, or appearing unaware of Indigenous histories and experiences. Students emphasized that all College community members need a basic level of cultural understanding and respect.

Students asked for:

• College‑wide respect for cultural differences
• Increased cultural awareness across all staff and faculty
• Representation of Indigenous peoples and nations throughout the College environment
• Clear signage and visibility for Indigenous spaces
• A campus climate where Indigenous perspectives are normalized, not exceptional

They also raised concerns about inappropriate teaching of Indigenous content by non-Indigenous people, stating clearly that only Indigenous people should offer traditional teachings.

This theme speaks to a foundational need: Students cannot thrive academically if they do not feel seen, respected, or safe.

Knowledge

Indigenous Students Need Respectful, Knowledgeable, and Culturally Safe Learning Environments.

Students expressed a strong desire for more Indigenous content across programs — especially in social work, policing, health, and other helping professions. Many stated that every student should receive at least one Indigenous studies course.

Beyond the classroom, students asked for more:

• Land-based learning and activities
• Cultural workshops such as moccasin making, beading, dream catchers, and corn husk doll teachings
• Access to medicine people and traditional healers
• Traditional foods such as corn soup and bannock
• Opportunities to participate in socials, dances, and potentially a campus powwow
• Celebrations where students can wear and share cultural clothing

These requests highlight the desire for programming that strengthens identity, builds skills connected to culture, and creates opportunities for students to learn their own ways in a supportive, community-based environment. Students appreciate current offerings and want to go deeper and broader.

Belonging 

Indigenous Students Value Indigenous-Specific Spaces, Relationships, and Community — and Want These Strengthened.

Students described the Indigenous Education lounges as calming, welcoming spaces that help them feel grounded and connected. The lounges were repeatedly named as essential to their wellbeing, academic success, and sense of belonging. Many emphasized the importance of having an Indigenous-specific campus tour at the start of the year, and shared that activities such as the canoe trip, wellness retreat, and group events helped them build meaningful community bonds.

Students told us they value:

• Quiet, culturally grounded spaces to gather, study, and access support
• Staff they can trust and speak openly with
• Group activities that help them meet other Indigenous students
• Outreach to students who may not feel connected yet
• Community partnerships that bridge their College and home communities
• Additional supports during times of crisis or unexpected expenses

At the same time, students identified gaps in reaching those who don’t regularly visit the lounge. Some students expressed that they feel okay without services, while others may not know what’s available or may face barriers that have yet to be addressed.

This theme reinforces a key teaching: relationship is at the heart of Indigenous student success.

Reflection on Findings

Taken together, these themes present a clear, unified message. Indigenous students are asking Niagara College to move beyond inclusion and into relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility.

They are asking for:
• Environments grounded in respect
• Curriculum and programming that reflect who they are
• Spaces and relationships that allow them to grow, connect, and succeed

These findings align strongly with the broader intentions of Katsistiyó – to build a “good fire” with students, honour their voices, and clear the path for future learners. The work is ongoing, and the responsibility is shared. But the direction forward has never been clearer: listen to the students, respond to their realities, and build with them, not for them.

What students described across circles, drop-ins, activities, and surveys is not simply a list of improvements—it is a vision for a College where Indigenous learners do not have to choose between their identity and their education. They are asking for consistency, clarity, and care in the places where they study, the people who teach them, and the systems that shape their experiences. They want their cultures reflected not only in special events, but in everyday moments. They want to see Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and ceremony woven into campus life with the same legitimacy as any other learning practice. They want visible signs—artwork, language, teachings—that affirm that Indigenous people belong here.

At the same time, students made clear that belonging is not built by spaces alone. It grows through relationships: with staff who listen without judgement, with peers who share experiences, and with educators who approach Indigenous content with humility and integrity. The survey responses reinforce what was heard in person – students feel welcomed in Indigenous spaces and want the rest of the College to reflect that same warmth and recognition. They want the broader environment to feel as safe, grounded, and culturally alive as the lounge.

Katsistiyó reminds us that tending a good fire requires preparation, intention, and shared responsibility. In the same way, fostering Indigenous student success requires ongoing presence, meaningful action, and a willingness to adjust practices when students name challenges or harm. The fire grows when it is fed; the work strengthens when it is shared.

Indigenous learners have already told us what helps them thrive. The question now is how we will use their guidance to rekindle, reshape, and sustain the conditions that support their success. The next steps call for steadiness, collaboration, and accountability across the institution. And as students have shown through their honesty and generosity, when the College listens deeply and responds with intention, the good fire not only burns brighter – it becomes a place where many can gather, learn, and move forward together.

Methodology

The project followed a five stage Katsistiyó framework — Collect, Connect, Spark, Nurture, Return — which draws loosely on Haudenosaunee teachings about preparing, tending, and carrying forward a “good fire.” This framework guided how engagement was planned, how relationships were built, and how knowledge was handled throughout the project.

Each stage emphasized careful preparation, respectful entry into student spaces, intentional opportunities for voice, ongoing relationship building, and accountability to bring the learning back to the community.

Engagement Activities

Feedback was gathered across a range of activities designed to meet Indigenous learners where they gather naturally, as well as through more structured sessions. These included:

• Regular weekly touchpoints: This included cultural drop-ins, Tea and Talk / Eat and Chat gatherings, and weekly MPOWER circles, where learners could share thoughts informally and at their own pace.

• Facilitated engagement sessions: Across Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, several small group discussions and circle based sessions were held. These sessions invited learners to reflect on their experiences at the College, identify strengths, and highlight areas that needed change. Some were tied to larger events such as campus tours and community activities.

• Cultural and land-based activities: Activities such as the canoe trip, wellness gatherings, and cultural workshops offered additional space for learners to share authentically, often leading to deeper reflections that would not surface in formal settings. These activities were essential in creating trust and connection.

• Surveys and light touch check-ins: Brief surveys were used to reach learners who might not attend events but still wanted to contribute. These provided an avenue for quieter voices to be included and helped broaden the scope of feedback.

Participants

The project engaged with a substantial portion of the Indigenous student population. By the midpoint of the year:

• roughly 50–60 Indigenous learners at the Welland Campus, and
• approximately 12 learners at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus

were regularly connected through the Indigenous Education spaces.

In addition to these core groups, others contributed through surveys, cultural activities, and occasional visits to Indigenous Education programming.

The intention was never to seek statistical representation but to honour the voices of those who chose to share, and to create multiple, low barrier pathways for participation.

Therefore the findings in this report draw on several interconnected sources:

• Notes from engagement sessions, Tea and Talk gatherings, and cultural events
• Early working notes and raw session documentation
• Feedback collected through surveys
• Relationship based insights gathered through regular interactions in Indigenous Education spaces

These materials provided both breadth and depth, offering a holistic look at Indigenous learner experiences.

Analysis Process

A thematic approach was used to organize what learners shared. This process involved:

1. Reviewing all notes and feedback documents in full.
2. Identifying common ideas, concerns, and hopes expressed across different spaces and sessions.
3. Comparing similarities across campuses and types of engagement.
4. Reflecting on the feedback through an Indigenous lens, ensuring interpretation aligned with the spirit and intention of what learners said.
5. Checking emerging themes informally with learners to ensure they resonated and reflected their experiences.

This process centred meaning, not measurement — emphasizing clarity, respect, and accountability to the voices shared.

Limitations

Participation varied depending on schedules, comfort levels, and personal circumstances. Some learners engaged deeply and regularly; others contributed occasionally or only through surveys. As a result, the findings represent a broad but relationally gathered picture rather than a comprehensive census. These dynamics reflect the lived realities of Indigenous learners and are part of the context of this work.

Conclusion

The insights shared through Katsistiyó present a consistent and direct account of what Indigenous learners experience at Niagara College and what they identify as necessary for their success. Across both campuses, students emphasized that respect, cultural understanding, and meaningful inclusion are foundational to feeling safe and able to learn. They expressed a desire for deeper Indigenous curriculum, more opportunities to engage with culture, and spaces where belonging is supported through relationships, visibility, and continuity. These themes of Respect, Knowledge, and Belonging, are not separate categories but interconnected conditions that students described repeatedly and clearly.

Students also conveyed that they are ready to grow, participate, and contribute to the College community, but they require tools, environments, and practices that meet them where they are. Their feedback suggests that while progress has been made, the College is not as far along as it may assume; there remain gaps and moments where small sparks can become an engulfing barrier if not addressed with care. The direction forward is not undefined. Students have already named the conditions under which they thrive, now Niagara College must be prepared to respond with consistency.

The Katsistiyó framework offers a practical way to think about this work. Preparing, tending, and sustaining a good fire requires intention, skill, and shared responsibility. Historically, every person in a community understood the basics of building and maintaining a fire because it supported collective wellbeing. In a contemporary institutional context, this metaphor underscores that supporting Indigenous learners cannot rest with a single department or position. It requires alignment, attentiveness, and the willingness to build the internal capacity needed to sustain the work over time.

The Dream Big support – a one-time granting opportunity – made it possible to engage students in a sustained, relational way that may not have been feasible otherwise. The project added needed capacity, allowed for regular presence in student spaces, and supported the development of cultural and land-based roles that strengthen Indigenous Education more broadly. It also laid the groundwork for deeper planning, including the early stages of an Indigenous Education Strategy and exploratory conversations about how Indigenous worldviews can be reflected more fully within curriculum and learning environments.

Katsistiyó has offered the College a clear account of what Indigenous students are experiencing and what they believe will help them succeed. The findings reflect both possibility and responsibility. Moving forward will require continued attention to the relationships, spaces, and commitments that students identified as most important. This work does not end with the completion of the project; it continues through the ongoing efforts of the College community to create conditions where Indigenous learners can build, tend, and share their own good fires.