Meet Lauren and Shannon from the Indigenous Initiatives Team!
The Indigenous Initiatives team at the CTLT develops programming, resources, and consultations focused on Indigenous engagement in curriculum, pedagogy, classroom climate, and professional development. They facilitate respectful and meaningful dialogue to enhance learning spaces and provide support for faculty, teaching assistants, and graduate students at UBC.
Meet Lauren Casey
Educational Consultant: Anti-racist and Indigenous Initiatives
Lauren Casey is a hard-working member of the Indigenous Initiatives team at the CTLT, where they play a crucial role in aligning Indigenous and anti-racist initiatives within teaching and learning at UBC. In this position, Lauren consults with UBC faculty and staff to enhance their professional growth, pedagogy, and curriculum through an intersectional lens. As someone who lives at the intersection of various identities, Lauren is dedicated to offering others the support and opportunities they value for themself.
Lauren studied at UBC within the Faculty of Arts. Their experience as an Indigenous person, in addition to navigating their identity as a queer person, led them to pursue the fields they are in today. They were recruited to work for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) after a long history of being involved with the organization. Lauren then went on to pursue their employment journey at UBC, working at the Sauder School of Business and the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office.
Now as an Educational Consultant: Anti-Racist and Indigenous Initiatives, Lauren is motivated by knowing they are making an impact in the experience of faculty and staff, which then trickles down to enhance the experience of students. Lauren believes that when UBC employees become educated on sensitive subject matters, they develop confidence that benefits how they are able to have conversations with students.
Lauren deeply values family time and dedicates much of their free moments to their six nieces and nephews. An avid book lover, they enjoy discussing their latest reads with fellow enthusiasts. In their spare time, Lauren picks up shifts at Chewies Oyster Bar, a place they have worked at throughout their adulthood and where they have developed a strong connection with the community. Additionally, they serve as Co-chair of the board at the WISH Drop-In Centre Society, an organization committed to improving the health, safety and well-being of women who are involved in Vancouver’s street-based sex trade.
Upcoming Projects
From Reverence to Erasure to Queer Indigenous Joy: Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Realities Over Time is an upcoming session from the CTLT Indigenous Initiatives team that explores the past and shifts focus into contemporary spaces and embodiments of queer Indigenous joy.
Lauren has been working hard to develop this session, and looks forward to facilitating it. They want to highlight the realities of the experiences of Queer and Indigenous folks, stripping away any glamourized or victimized connotations that come from non-Indigenous folks.
Meet Shannon Robinson
Educational Consultant: Anti-racist Teaching and Learning
Shannon brings her expertise and passion to her role as Educational Consultant: Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning in Indigenous Initiatives at the CTLT. In this position, she supports the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Program (A-RTL), which “aims to create equitable learning environments and caring classroom spaces where learners who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour can thrive”. This program acts as a bridge between the CTLT’s Teaching, Learning and Professional Development (TLPD) team and the Indigenous Initiatives team. These teams work together to create programs, workshops, and other opportunities for UBC educators.
Born and raised in Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 territories, Shannon grew up on either side of the Red Deer River and moved to the unceded Coast Salish lands to pursue a degree at UBC. She earned an undergraduate degree in Art History and First Nations & Indigenous studies. She then went on to work at the Museum of Anthropology and the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre before coming to the CTLT.
Shannon is driven by a vision of a better future for the world and all that resides within it. She draws inspiration from the Indigenous Initiatives team, whose support and collaborative spirit foster a nurturing environment. During her first year with the CTLT, she has gained valuable insights and has embraced the work passed down by her predecessors.
Lately, Shannon has been spending her free time connecting with water and nature through swimming, sailing, and berry picking. She loves consuming fantasy, sci-fi, and decolonial speculative fiction and would recommend the anthology Love after the End by Joshua Whitehead, as well as the novel Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
Upcoming Projects
This summer, Shannon facilitated a new initiative at the CTLT, Applying Anti-Racist Pedagogy in the Classroom (AA-RPC), co-sponsored by the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. Collaborating with co-facilitators Sue Hampton, Daniel Gallardo and Lauren Casey, they guided educators through a cohort-based program that fostered collaborative learning and exploration of anti-racist practices. The program included approximately 12 hours of in-person facilitation, supplemented by an additional 24 hours of asynchronous learning through a Canvas course.
As Shannon moves forward, she is digesting the feedback from AA-RPC and developing strategy for future endeavours. She is interested in potentially continuing the community of practice model based on what resonated with participants.
