First Peoples Principles of Learning 

This is the paddle featured in each year's convocation ceremony.

Designed, carved and painted by Coast Mountain College's Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art graduate, Sean Aster, it is a symbol of transformation and metamorphosis, rooted in the Northwest coast art tradition.

Learning...

• Ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.


• Is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).


• Involves recognizing the consequences of one‘s actions.


• Involves generational roles and responsibilities.


• Recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge.


• Is embedded in memory, history, and story.


• Involves patience and time.


• Requires exploration of one‘s identity.


• Involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.

Source:  First Peoples Principles of Learning