Indigenous mural unveiled at University of Calgary
Posted Feb 4, 2019 2:12 pm.
Last Updated Feb 6, 2019 10:19 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — As part of Indigenous reconciliation efforts, the University of Calgary’s Nursing Faculty is hoping a new cultural space will attract students.
It recently unveiled a mural by an Indigenous artist that was commissioned by the faculty.
“The students went to the opening of the Calgary [Central] Library, and the students met with three Indigenous artists, and one of them was Kalum Teke Dan,” said co-director of Indigenous initiatives in the nursing faculty, Heather Bensler. “He was the artist who agreed to paint this mural.”
Increasing the number of Indigenous nurses is one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.
“It’s important when we are looking for, in particular, First Nations students in the community that we are providing cultural supports for them,” added Bensler. “When students are leaving communities, they can still feel a connection with their culture and their language.”
The school currently has a total of 21 self-identified Indigenous students enrolled in the program.
