Water Teachings and Interactive Activities Day 1 | National Indigenous Peoples Month
- Date
- June 05, 2025
- Time
- 10:00 AM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT
- Location
- SLC Amphitheatre, 1st floor of the Student Learning Centre (SLC) at 341 Yonge St.
- Open To
- Students, faculty, staff and community members
- Contact
- Indigevents@torontomu.ca
- Website
- https://www.torontomu.ca/indigenous/events/national-indigenous-peoples-month
Let’s Dive In!
This year we are making waves for ocean sustainability and Indigenous reconciliation with a joint celebration of World Oceans Week and National Indigenous Peoples Month.
Join us on Day 1, June 5, for a full day of exciting, immersive experiences that celebrate our shared ocean and the crucial role Earth’s largest ecosystem plays in our lives. Through Indigenous water teachings and fun interactive activities, this event honours the millennia-long leadership of Indigenous Peoples – particularly Indigenous women – as water stewards, knowledge keepers and guardians of the lands and waters of Turtle Island, including the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.
This event underscores our collective responsibility under the Dish With One Spoon treaty to protect these vital waters, which provide 20% of the world’s freshwater. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn, reflect and take action to safeguard these critical ecosystems.
Can’t make it on Day 1? Join us for more drop-in activities on Day 2, June 6 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 p.m.
Day 1 event schedule
Morning program | 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
- Opening Remarks
- Land Acknowledgement
- Poem by Juliet Dhanraj
- Water Teachings
- Biinaagami: Virtual Water Walk Around the Great Lakes(floor map + AR storytelling)
- Wave of Change Collaborative Mural Activity
- Map Your Memories of Blue
- Seas the Day!
Lunch Break | 12:00 - 1:00 pm (on your own)
Afternoon drop-in activities | 1:00 - 4:00 pm
- Biinaagami: Virtual Water Walk Around the Great Lakes (floor map + AR storytelling)
- Wave of Change Collaborative Mural Activity
Featured activities
Biinaagami: Virtual Water Walk Around the Great Lakes (Floor Map + Augmented-Reality Storytelling)
Step onto a giant floor map (external link) for a virtual journey inspired by the path of an Anishinaabe Water Walker. Using augmented reality triggers and Indigenous storytelling, you’ll learn about the Great Lakes ecosystem, water teachings and our shared responsibilities to ensure Biinaagami: the good, clean waters (external link) .
Download the AVARA Discover app (external link) (Android, iOS) to access the 11 Augmented Reality triggers (external link) on the map.
Wave of Change Collaborative Mural Activity
Contribute to a community mural using repurposed materials from the Free Store. Through this hands-on art activity, you’ll help create a visual representation of the connection between human actions and marine ecosystems. You’re also invited to add written reflections or personal messages to the piece, contributing your voice to a shared expression of care for the planet’s waters.
This activity is a creative way to explore your connection to ocean conservation and SDG 14: Life Below Water.
Map Your Memories
Blue spaces like the ocean have a way of making us happy and improving our mental health. Mark your favourite “Blue Happy Place” – a meaningful body of water or blue space – on a world map and share the memory behind it.
Stories will be displayed on the “Coast Line” clothesline as part of a collective reflection on the emotional and cultural importance of water.
Seas the Day!
The ocean is a social, cultural and spiritual space – a place of wondrous beauty, delight and sacredness, that resonates differently for everyone. World Oceans Day challenges us to reflect on our relationship with the ocean and how we can demonstrate our love for the sea by making ocean-friendly choices every day.
At this interactive station, Bristol board cutouts and markers will be provided, allowing participants to respond to the urgent call to action to protect the ocean by making sustainable choices and becoming ocean champions. Participant responses will be hung on the “Coastline” clothesline.
Prize draws throughout the day
Bring your smartphone or tablet for AR experiences
Light refreshments available
This event is part of Mzawe Kiing Anishinaabek Giizis | National Indigenous Peoples Month.
This month is a time for self-education, with a number of opportunities to celebrate and reflect on the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the university community and beyond.
Aambe Bizhaak! / All are welcome!
About the organizers/team
Crystal Osawamick, Manager, Indigenous Events and Special Projects, University Events and Ceremonies, Office of the President
Juliet Dhanraj, Student Success Specialist at the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP)
Sharmilla Raj, Sustainability Manager in the Sustainability Office, Facilities Management and Development
Erica Wilkinson, Sustainability Coordinator in the Sustainability Office, Facilities Management and Development
Accessibility
The university is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any accommodation requirements, please let us know in the registration form. You can also email Crystal Osawamick, Manager of Indigenous Events and Special Projects at crystal.osawamick@torontomu.ca.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email Indigevents@torontomu.ca
