Aboriginal Student Resource Centre Hires New Support Worker to Keep Up With More Students

NewsMichelle Pucci — Published September 21, 2015

Months removed from graduation, she’s still adjusting to the new role, which replaced a previous writing assistant position at the centre. Her enthusiasm for the position is recognizable in her strong laugh when she interacts with students.

“I still don’t believe it some days,” Lahache said.

Despite the challenges of studying and writing about First Nations and Inuit people—because so many traditions were passed down orally—Lahache said her studies continue to help her in her work with aboriginal students.

“Now I have a better understanding of native people in Quebec and people coming from out west,” she said.

The aboriginal centre also collaborates with the First Peoples Studies to organize the inaugural First Voices week last year and works within the urban aboriginal community network.

Nadine Montour, coordinator of the Aboriginal Student Resource Centre, called the space a place where community boundaries are broken.

“You just want your people to be empowered,” Montour said.

Lahache remembers feeling like she didn’t fit into academia when she was a student. When she said it aloud in the aboriginal centre one day, other students turned to her and said they felt the same way.

“We were all struggling at the beginning of the semester, thinking professors were trying to change our thinking,” Lahache said. “But it’s only because we were evolving and we were trying to figure out where we sat—in the university and in our communities.

“If you don’t say it out loud you think you’re alone.”

For Lahache and other aboriginal students, finishing her studies meant balancing two worlds: her community and her schooling.

This year, the Aboriginal Student Resource Centre welcomed about 20 new students, and the numbers are growing, according to Montour.

“We’re trying to build our community at Concordia,” she said.Potential or future students tend to stop at the centre first for advice and information, Montour added. “I don’t know what it is, if it’s out of habit, that most aboriginal students are going to go look for an aboriginal centre.”

Some students come from communities with 300 people, she said, which is probably less than the number of people they’ll see in one day in the Hall building, where the centre is located. Montour said new students are younger and full-time, with more people choosing to continue post-secondary studies out of high school.

Lahache’s role as a student success worker was created to keep up with the number of students who drop in for one-on-ones regarding registration problems, navigating the university’s resources and living in Montreal. She’s at the centre on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“We couldn’t even keep up with people anymore,” Montour said.

As the coordinator of the centre, Montour is also responsible for outreach and recruitment of aboriginal students and cultural programs. The centre promotes city-wide cultural events by aboriginal people and welcomes Elder Morning Star twice a week, when she meets with all students.

Housing is among the top concerns for new students; many are from out of town and looking for affordable housing, and the centre wants to provide services to allieviate the pressure. Lahache said taking a workshop by the Concordia Student Union’s Housing and Job Bank has given her enough insight to impart on students.

Montour hopes the new position can help promote services for aboriginal people and encourage students to create new associations or clubs themselves.

“That is our goal—to get students to come here and have that community and have that safe space—but we also want to encourage them to go out and try new things and get out of their comfort zone,” Montour said.

Aboriginal Student Resource Centre (1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Room H-641)  // Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. // (514) 848-2424, ext. 7327