Through the Indigenous Success Fund, UM students are building relationships with communities, gaining hands-on experience and discovering new ways of understanding design and place
When Brent Whitby [BES/90, MArch/94] and Laura Fyles [BID/93] established the Indigenous Success Fund in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba (UM) in 2021, the initial goal was to support Indigenous students. What began as a conversation about student scholarships grew into something much broader: a flexible fund that helps students learn from the land, work alongside Indigenous communities and gain experiences far beyond the classroom.
The vision for the fund took shape through discussions with the donors, Mira (Mimi) Locher, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, and Shawn Bailey [BEnvD/06, MArch/14], Associate Professor and Indigenous Scholar in the Faculty of Architecture.
"From these discussions, the goal of the fund became to provide support as broadly as possible,” says Locher. “Their donation clearly would support many Indigenous students as well as Indigenous faculty members. The result is something very positive for all our students and faculty."
Five years later, the fund supports a range of initiatives, from student research and the Elder-in-Residence program to community-engaged design-build projects through the Forest School.
The idea for the Forest School grew from Bailey’s simple belief that students need opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with land, people and place as part of learning how to design.
Originally planned as a physical place, today Bailey describes the Forest School as "an approach to land-focused design education, research and making that grows through relationships with the land, community, students, artists, craftspeople and whoever really wants to become a part of this work."
At its heart is an “understanding of knowledge as relational." Students learn not only from instructors, but through relationships with community, Elders, places, materials and one another. Many of the hands-on design-build projects have developed through relationships with Indigenous communities and other community partners.
This past spring, architecture and engineering students worked alongside community members at a youth wellness camp near Kenora ON, helping design and build a portable feasting table and benches that can be used for gatherings, food preparation and cultural activities. The project emerged through a relationship with the Kenora Chiefs Advisory and reflected the Forest School's philosophy of learning through making.
One student reflected that despite hearing about reconciliation throughout high school, they had never truly understood what it meant until participating in a Forest School project. The realization surprised the instructors of the course because reconciliation was never formally taught in the course.
Rather than arriving with predetermined answers, students learn through experience, observation and collaboration. They spend time with community members, share meals, gather around fires and work together toward a common goal. Students have described gaining a deeper understanding of community, relationships and the practical realities of working alongside people whose experiences differ from their own. Some students have continued working with northern and Indigenous communities, while others have carried those lessons into professional practice.
A recurring theme in the story of the Indigenous Success Fund is flexibility. Over time, that flexibility has allowed the fund to evolve organically, responding to opportunities and community needs as they arise. For Locher, much of that comes back to the trust placed in the faculty by the donors.
"It's really amazing to have a donor who is that open-minded about how the funds are used," she says. "They came in with a particular idea, but through discussion, allowed the spirit of the work to evolve naturally."
That openness has enabled projects, partnerships and learning opportunities that could not have been predicted when the fund was first created.
"It allows us to say: here's an opportunity. Let's be open about it and see where it takes us," Bailey says. "We'll learn from our mistakes, and we'll go toward our successes and what we've learned from that."
Today, the work of the Forest School continues to evolve. New ideas are exploring ways to bring even more students together on the land, creating opportunities for reflection, dialogue and connection. Faculty are also exploring ways to expand engagement across programs and deepen partnerships with Indigenous communities. For Locher, the goal is to build on the momentum already created.
"We want to make sure that it is sustainable moving forward because we're finding there are so many different ways that even a little bit of money can really create such wonderful experiences for our students,” she says.
Five years after the Indigenous Success Fund was created, its impact can be measured in research projects, student experiences, community partnerships and opportunities for Indigenous leadership. But perhaps its greatest lesson is the one at the heart of the Forest School itself: meaningful learning begins with relationships.
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