From the Nominator

In honor of National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21, the University of Calgary presented its 9th annual Campfire Chats—an event to celebrate Indigenous cultures. The program focuses on Indigenous storytelling around the past, present, and future challenges of our city, with the aim of igniting passionate curiosity in Calgarians around an informal campfire setting. Campfire Chats presents an opportunity for UCalgary to collaborate with key community-building organizations that contribute to the academic, cultural, social, and economic interests of the city. Our partners serve as co-hosts of the event, bringing their voices (and the voices of their communities) to participants. The audience for this event consisted of Indigenous communities (Treaty 7 Chiefs, Treaty 7 members), Community Elders (and Elder’s Circle of Advisors), UCalgary executive and senior leadership, UCalgary community, UCalgary partners, and the greater Calgary community. Following the guiding principles of ii ' taa'poh'to'p, UCalgary's Indigenous Strategy, Campfire Chats met all four calls to action. Led by the Office of Indigenous Engagement in collaboration with Piikani Elders and Cultural Advisors Reg and Rose Crowshoe, the program consisted of four performing artists, bringing together the entire community for a celebration of music and culture. This event was hosted with our community partner, Heritage Park, driving attendees to their facilities to build community and bridge gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendees. The results of this event, attended by 525 community members, is a strengthened and educated community focusing on reconciling our past while walking parallel paths together, in a good way.

From the Judges

An emotionally resonant and culturally sensitive initiative that fosters inclusion and connection. The format lends itself well to replication by institutions aiming to center Indigenous voices and build bridges across cultures.