Awareness Workshop: Who Are You? The Truth in Reconciliation
This workshop is organized by the KPU Computer Science and Information Technology Department in collaboration with the IEEE Vancouver Joint Computer Society.
The "Who Are You? The Truth in Reconciliation" awareness workshop will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at KPU’s Surrey Campus (Cedar 2110), Surrey, B.C.
Join us for "Who Are You? The Truth in Reconciliation", an awareness workshop led by MS. Gayle Bedard, Tsimshian leader and Associate Vice President of Indigenous Leadership at KPU. Drawing from her lived experiences and decades of educational leadership, MS. Bedard will guide participants through a powerful conversation about identity, truth, and reconciliation in Canada. This workshop is an opportunity to reflect on the lasting impact of colonial systems, understand the realities faced by Indigenous Peoples, and explore how we can contribute to meaningful, systemic change. This event is especially important for those committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and who seek to engage in authentic reconciliation in both personal and professional spaces.
Seats are limited—Please register (Free) early through IEEE VTOOL. Registration is open until August 6th at 5:00, BUT may close earlier if capacity is reached.
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
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- 12666 72 Ave
- Surrey, British Columbia
- Canada V3W 2M8
- Building: Cedar
- Room Number: 2110
- Contact Event Host
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Dr. Mandeep Pannu
Email: mandeep,pannu@ieee.org
- Co-sponsored by CSIT, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
- Starts 30 July 2025 08:00 PM UTC
- Ends 07 August 2025 12:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Gayle Bedard, Associate Vice President, Indigenous Leadership, Innovation & Partnerships, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Who Are You? The Truth in Reconciliation
Biography:
Gayle Bedard is Tsimshian from the First Nations community of Lax Kw’Alaams (Port Simpson) and currently serves as an elected councillor for her Nation. Her ancestral name is Gwalgum’ax, meaning “Water on Fire.”
Born, raised, and educated in Lax Kw’Alaams, Gayle attended the Federally run Indian Day School on reserve from kindergarten through Grade 10 before completing high school in Prince Rupert while living in a boarding home. These early experiences—navigating both community-based and provincial education systems—have deeply shaped her lived understanding of the challenges Indigenous students face.
She earned her Bachelor of Education in 1984 and her Master of Education in 1998, both from the University of British Columbia. In 2015, she completed a second Master of Arts degree in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University.
With over 30 years of experience in educational leadership across elementary, secondary, and post-secondary settings, Gayle currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Indigenous Leadership at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Under her leadership, the university launched the xéʔelɬ KPU Pathway to Systemic Transformation—a five-year framework designed to guide institutional change and address ongoing systemic colonialism, oppression, and racism experienced by Indigenous Peoples.
Address:KPU, , Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Agenda
2:00 PM Networking and Tea, Coffee, and Appetizers
3:00 PM Welcome/Opening
3:05 PM Prayer by Lekeyten, KPU Elder in Residence
3:15 PM Awareness Workshop: Who Are You? The Truth in Reconciliation, MS. Gayle Bedard
4:45 PM Networking