Indigenisation at the heart of Francophone education: a free professional development day at Campus Saint-Jean on 15 May.
18 March 2026
Campus Saint-Jean, the University of Alberta’s Francophone multidisciplinary campus, presents a half-day professional development event for school teachers on the theme: ‘Indigenizing education in Francophone and immersion contexts’.
This event is part of the institution’s ongoing commitment to responding to the Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to supporting educators in integrating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge into their classrooms. In particular, this initiative aims to address the persistent challenges associated with the scarcity of high-quality teaching resources in French, a significant obstacle for teaching staff wishing to integrate this knowledge in an authentic way.
Campus Saint-Jean is honoured to welcome Bonnie Lépine Antoine, Director of Indigenous Education at the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF), for this event. A nationally recognised expert, Ms Lepine Antoine will guide participants through practical reflections and teaching strategies aimed at forging authentic links between Indigenous cultures and French-language education.
The event will take place from 8.30 am to 11.30 am and will follow a dynamic, collaborative format. Participants will alternate between plenary sessions, which will lay the theoretical foundations for indigenisation in minority contexts, and group workshops, providing an opportunity to discuss best practices and develop tools tailored to the realities on the ground.
Although the programme is primarily designed for French-speaking and immersion teaching staff, this session is open to everyone. Whether you are a teacher from another school board, a member of support staff, a school administrator, or simply interested in this social issue, your presence and perspective will enrich the collective dialogue.
The event will take place on Friday 15 May at the Lacerte Pavilion on the University of Alberta’s Saint-Jean Campus in Edmonton.