There is always something going on at First Peoples House of Learning, and we would love for you to join us! We welcome the entire Trent community to enjoy the services and programs we offer. From the annual Elder & Traditional Peoples Gathering to the Learn by Doing workshops and visiting Elders & Knowledge holders in Residence, we provide a supportive environment where students can come, listen, and learn from all who visit FPHL.
Learn By Doing/Cultural Workshops
We offer a number of experiential learning opportunities that examine Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding. These workshops are available as a way for you to engage with Indigenous knowledge. Events we typically offer include beading, drum making, traditional songs and drumming, ribbon shirt, skirt and vest making, a sugar bush field trip, medicine bag making, and many more.
Visiting Elders and Traditional Knowledge Holders
Throughout the school year, we are honoured with the presence of visiting Elders and Traditional Knowledge holders. Visitors spend four days at Peterborough and one day at the Oshawa Durham campus, interacting with students and sharing their knowledge and teachings. Students are invited to make one-on-one appointments, visit at the Traditional Area or come to any Traditional Teachings facilitated by our visiting Elder or Knowledge Holder. Traditional Teachings are typically offered in the Ernest and Florence Benedict Gathering Space (GSC 102) Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Elders and Knowledge Holders also present a variety of lectures across Trent University. Please note that while this is the typical format, this may look different based on the needs of specific Elders or Knowledge Holders.
All of our visiting Elders and Traditional Knowledge Holders will be posted in the calendar of events section of our website.
To book a one-on-one appointment with a visiting Elder or Knowledge Holder, please contact FPHL through email at fphl@trentu.ca.
To stay up to date on our events, please join our mailing list, either via completing our Indigenous Self-Identification Survey or by contacting us at fphl@trentu.ca and requesting to be added. You can also check out the calendar of events page or follow our social media channels linked below.