The Decolonial Toolbox : an Educational Pathway 

The Decolonial Toolbox is the result of a multi-year collaboration between Concordia University’s Office of Community Engagement, Mikana and the Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK. The first tool, of the Decolonial Toolbox, offers to the general public an Educational Pathway to understand historical and contemporary Indigenous realities.

The pathway gathers carefully-selected resources produced by Indigenous peoples and organizations that are accessible and promote Indigenous expertise. 

The topics covered are foundational knowledge on terminology, territories, and colonial history. Subsequent levels of the Pathway will address Indigenous resistance, resurgence, anti-racism, allyship and the plurality of Nations. 

 

Why an education pathway?

In response to the over-solicitation of Indigenous organizations, the Educational Pathway allows users to learn about Indigenous realities, thereby easing the educational burden on Indigenous organizations and individuals. 

It is helpful that the learning process is more independent and that the responsibility is transferred to the learners. The objective of the pathway is to gradually provide resources and stimulate reflection to understand the complexity of decolonizing and how to incorporate changes in everyday life. These stepping stones will guide readers as they embark on personal journeys toward decolonization and meaningful allyship.

 

How can it be used? 

Throughout this self-education pathway, users will be able to listen, view and read the proposed resources and begin a reflection process. Depending on their stage of learning, users will have access to resources representing nearly 22 hours of content.

Offered in PDF format, The Educational Pathway is free of cost and is accessible online. All you have to do is download it to your computer, smartphone or electronic tablet, and follow the themes. Each theme is accompanied by resources that are clearly described and hyperlinked. By clicking on the title of the resource, the users are directed to the appropriate web page.

In groups: 

The Educational Pathway can be used to promote awareness of groups that would like to broaden their horizons on the realities of Indigenous people. This tool is useful in the workplace for staff training or the onboarding of new employees, for example. In order to enrich this experience, group sharing and discussion are encouraged. Any group with a desire to learn together can benefit from this pathway, whether it be among friends, family, or colleagues. 

Individually:

The Educational Pathway can also be used to accompany an individual on their personal learning journey and self-reflection process. This tool provides learners with the opportunity to review their knowledge and perspectives and to begin taking on their own unconscious biases and social practices. The pathway allows users to progress at their own pace, while allowing them to become aware of the plurality of Indigenous experiences, identities, and voices.  

To download the Educational Pathway, click here

To meet the creators of the Educational Pathway, click here

Do you have questions or comments about the course? Contact info@mikana.ca