Halifax Aboriginal students have new home

It's all about respect and self-confidence at Native Education Counselling Unit

Aboriginal students’ home away from home, the Native Education Counselling Unit, located at 6286 South St. Photo: Kelly Graham

Aboriginal students in the Halifax area are enjoying a new Native Education Counselling Unit courtesy of Dalhousie University. 

Hidden behind a thin screen of trees next to Dalplex, on South Street, sits a narrow yellow house. On the second floor, perched atop a narrow staircase, is the space Dalhousie donated. It has a spacious lounge with a leather sofa, a small kitchenette with a beloved coffee machine, a small computer room, a tiny bathroom and an office for the unit's only employee. 

The counselling unit offers services in the Mi'kmaq language, nutrition workshops and access to elders, which make it unique from other student services. Dalhousie hopes the counselling unit will allow aboriginal students to feel more at home.

'Respected'

"I feel respected when I'm here," says Jamie Johnson, 28-year-old father of two. He has been to other centres on campus but says he feels at peace while at the counselling unit. It's a place where he can relax.

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Jamie Johnson, 28, standing next to his beloved coffee machine. Photo: Kelly Graham

Johnson, who is Mi'kmaq, is attending the Transition Year Program at Dalhousie this year. He became aware of the unit during the program orientation. Johnson has been dropping by the unit every day since the start of school to read, drink coffee and to catch the odd nap. 

Providing a cultural home to aboriginal students is the main purpose of the counselling unit. Many are dealing with culture shock that comes from living off-reserve for the first time. The counselling unit is hoping to instill a sense of confidence and pride in these students. 

Dalhousie knows the emotional well-being of aboriginal students is an important factor in their drop-out rates. The university is aiming to serve the needs of the aboriginal student community by inviting Lauretta Sylliboy, the counsellor and only full-time employee of the counselling unit, to senior-level meetings. The tight integration between the two organizations was displayed when Dalhousie hosted this year's mawio'mi, or powwow.

Sylliboy has a busy schedule. Her services are required on the campuses of the other universities and high schools in the area because no services comparable to the counselling unit are available at these locations.

‘I don’t even know where it is’

Making people aware of the centre's existence is something the counselling unit must do to be successful. Sylliboy is talking with the marketing department at Dalhousie to procure some promotional material such as posters. Additionally, she is hoping to get students' attention by running events such as a monthly potluck.

"I don't even know where it is," says Holly Dorey, a 19-year-old First Nations student, showing how much work Sylliboy has ahead.

Dorey is aware that the unit exists and feels that it is a great idea, but better advertising is definitely needed. Dorey isn't aware of what services it offers. 

The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq is funding all aspects, aside from the location, of the Native Education Counselling Unit such as paper, coffee, furnishings, computers and employee salaries.

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