Land Acknowledgement

SuperNOVA at Dalhousie University’s office is located in Kjipuktuk, on the ancestral and unceded Territory of the Mi’kmaq, and SuperNOVA’s programming reach expands across all regions of Mi’kma’ki. We are grateful to live, work, and learn on this territory and recognize that we are all Treaty people with a responsibility to respect and uphold the inherent Treaty Rights of all Indigenous peoples. We commit to understanding our role and responsibility towards Truth and Reconciliation, and to the continued learning about the historical and present day oppression of lands, cultures and the original peoples across Mi’kma’ki, and more broadly in what is now known as Canada.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) describes reconciliation as being “about establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country…for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.”

SuperNOVA actively works towards building meaningful, authentic, and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous partner communities across Mi’kma’ki in an effort to foster reconciliation and dismantle systems that continue to oppress diverse communities, both inside and outside of STEM sectors and areas of study. In consideration of the Treaty Education programs, which create a vehicle for the “continued, long-term generational journey toward reconciliation,” SuperNOVA’s program curriculum is designed in consultation with the Nova Scotia Treaty Education Framework. Our specialized outreach initiatives and services ensure that youth, regardless of their geographic location, socio-economic situation, ability or gender, can be inspired and empowered through STEM.

We invite you to take this time to reflect on your relationship with the land that you are on and encourage you to learn more about how you may work towards advancing the process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.