Inaugural Member Sponsorship Program Event: A National Discussion of Indigenous Student Experiences in Post-Secondary

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a well-known voice in the federal advocacy realm for issues relating to post-secondary. The organization works with 23 member associations and partners to foster an accessible, affordable, and innovative post-secondary experience that is of the highest quality for students in Canada. CASA is a member-driven organization that seeks to effectively represent students’ lived experiences to the federal government and stakeholders working in the post-secondary realm.

CASA advocates for numerous policy and legislative changes each year to improve post-secondary education and the lives of students. Increases to grants, widespread use of open-educational resources, sexual violence prevention on campuses, and changes to programs that enable better access to post-secondary are among the many of CASA’s advocacy goals. In an effort to strengthen the organization’s ability to include voices from all walks of life in its advocacy, CASA’s 2018-2019 ad-hoc committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion created a Member Sponsorship Program. This program seeks to include Indigenous student experiences and ways of knowing into how the organization advocates and represents students across the country. 

For many years, CASA has been an effective driver of legislative change in Parliament and the Senate, but we recognize that the voices that need to be heard within the federal government are not always around the table. While CASA’s membership is comprised of elected student leaders, community leaders are not always those who end up elected into positions of power. It is with this notion of collaboration and inclusion that we are coming together for a conversation on how we can improve advocacy around Indigenous student experiences in post-secondary at the federal level. 

Throughout this conference, delegates will learn about the intricacies of advocating to the federal government, get to know CASA and understand why and how the organization does what it does, participate in a policy development workshop, and set the direction of narratives that need to be brought to the federal government’s attention around Indigenous student experiences in post-secondary through CASA’s advocacy. From this initial meeting, delegates will select two members to attend CASA’s conferences for the rest of the year and act as the main line of communication between this initial working group and the rest of the membership that CASA represents. 

We look forward to seeing you on October 26th! If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact our Member Relations Officer, Annie Sherry, at [email protected]. Please note that this event is open only to member associations of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

CASA acknowledges that the conference will be taking place on unceded traditional lands of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. The meeting place on which we will be gathering is still home to many Indigenous people across Turtle Island, and we are grateful to be coming together in this beautiful space.

Conference Registration and Hotel Accommodations

Please register for the Conference by October 18th here: https://forms.gle/vwJ6HZkDPDAxh7t58 

Rooms for the conference have been block booked for delegates and will be held until Friday, October 11th. To book your accommodations at the Carleton Suite Hotel, please contact CASA’s Member Relations Officer, Annie Sherry, at [email protected]