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OUAC staff who are holding a meeting at the OUAC office, or virtually, may consider sharing our acknowledgement of the Traditional Territory the office is located on, and our statement on equity, diversity and inclusion, at the beginning of the meeting.
Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory – Meeting at the OUAC Office
We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that the OUAC resides on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is home to many past, present and future First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
The OUAC strives to honour our relationship to the land and to these Indigenous peoples in our mission to facilitate access to university education in Ontario for all applicants, through efforts such as:
- Offering Ontario university applicants the option to self-identify as Indigenous persons through the Applicant Diversity Census in OUAC applications. The information we gather through the census may allow us to identify barriers to certain groups wishing to receive a university education, and allows the universities to reach out to Indigenous applicants with information about resources available to them.
- Consulting with the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP) about how the Ontario university community can better serve prospective Indigenous applicants through its recruitment activities. We also invite APSIP to participate in recruitment events, if they wish.
- Providing an Indigenous Student Resources page on our Ontario Universities’ Info (OUInfo) website, which links to the universities’ Indigenous student centres and resources, and to financial support information for Indigenous applicants. We also offer applicants the ability to easily search for Indigenous-specific scholarships on the Scholarships page on OUInfo.
- Upholding the OUAC’s Commitment to Environmental Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability Initiatives at the Ontario Universities’ Fair.
Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory – Virtual Meeting Hosted by the OUAC
If the OUAC staff person hosting the virtual meeting is not located at the OUAC office, they may choose to briefly acknowledge the Traditional Territory they are located on (refer to Native-Land.ca), if this is different than that the OUAC office resides on.
We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that we are each meeting on traditional land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. This land is home to many past, present and future First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
The OUAC, which resides on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, strives to honour our relationship to the land and to these Indigenous peoples in our mission to facilitate access to university education in Ontario for all applicants, through efforts such as:
- Offering Ontario university applicants the option to self-identify as Indigenous persons through the Applicant Diversity Census in OUAC applications. The information we gather through the census may allow us to identify barriers to certain groups wishing to receive a university education, and allows the universities to reach out to Indigenous applicants with information about resources available to them.
- Consulting with the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP) about how the Ontario university community can better serve prospective Indigenous applicants through its recruitment activities. We also invite APSIP to participate in recruitment events, if they wish.
- Providing an Indigenous Student Resources page on our Ontario Universities’ Info (OUInfo) website, which links to the universities’ Indigenous student centres and resources, and to financial support information for Indigenous applicants. We also offer applicants the ability to easily search for Indigenous-specific scholarships on the Scholarships page on OUInfo.
- Upholding the OUAC’s Commitment to Environmental Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability Initiatives at the Ontario Universities’ Fair.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
We [I] begin this [event or meeting] with a request and reminder to respect each individual here today. May we seek to foster an atmosphere of equity, access and inclusivity where we learn and relearn from each other and ensure everyone is respected and feels welcomed.
If you have questions about this wording and/or how it was created, or for French text, email OUAC Communications and Events.