Karline Wilson-Mitchell, director of the Midwifery Education Program (MEP), and Denise B. Mcleod, Aboriginal student coordinator for the MEP program, chose to focus on supporting Indigenous students in the midwifery program at Toronto Metropolitan University for their LTG grant.
The primary goal of their project was to support Aboriginal student success through the MEP program. According to Denise, past Indigenous midwifery students who went through the MEP program did not find a specific space for them to gather because of the nature of their work and schedules. They would often miss programs that happened at TMU for Indigenous students and heavily advocated for a coordinator in the MEP program.
The student coordinator supports students in day-to-day tasks such as navigating the city, finding adequate housing and providing support in financing. Before the pandemic, the coordinator provided feasts and monthly social meal gatherings.
Denise hosted virtual feasts and social gatherings, offered a virtual student lounge, and created videos for the MET Teacher Learner portal.
About The Learning and Teaching Grants
The Learning and Teaching Grants Program (LTG), funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, supports teaching excellence and pedagogical leadership, along with our community’s ongoing dedication to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and decolonization (EDIA + D) in the classroom.