A key feature of Indigenous governance is relationship- and community-building. Given the importance and grounding of these elements throughout the Indigenous Governance Degree (IGD), this orientation course provides an opportunity for all first year IGD students to meet and begin building relationships and community with one another. The Orientation will include icebreakers, team building, arts- and land-based activities, and mini-training workshops that focus on building student resiliency in culturally-informed and appropriate ways. Training topics might include staying culturally grounded in school, managing anxiety and stress, trauma-informed practices, lateral kindness/violence, and non-violent communication. In addition to spending time together, students will be introduced to local Elders, who will speak to local history, culture, and values; IGD faculty and staff, who will share about themselves, IGD program content and delivery, and what to expect; current IGD students, who will give insight into their learning journey in the IGD; and YukonU support staff, who will share and connect students to YukonU support programs, services, resources, and the ins-and-outs of learning online.

Note: Students registering for this class also need to register for FNDS 101 and FNDS 102.