Community Service Award 2023

This year the Faculty Association is pleased to present the Community Service Award to Yvonne Poitras Pratt, Associate Professor at the Werklund School of Education.

Professor Poitras Pratt provides extensive educational support to the Métis community across Alberta, most notably in curriculum advocacy and development around Indigenous perspectives. She shares her wisdom and research expertise on several pressing topics, including reconciliation between Indigenous communities and the Catholic Church, Métis experiences of residential schools, and the lack of Indigenous perspectives in Alberta’s proposed K-6 curriculum. Professor Poitras Pratt’s extensive media work and investment in initiatives connect students, academics, and the public with members of Indigenous communities in Alberta and across the country. Her contributions represent extensive outreach to an underrepresented and underserved community, of which she is an active citizen.

Professor Poitras Pratt’s work demonstrates how relationships are created when dedicated people come together to learn and support each other. She inspires others to look for opportunities to work together on campus and in our broader community to create welcoming and inclusive communities.

We want to recognize the exceptional work of all nominees on campus and in the broader community. All members of the University community and all Calgarians benefit from the valuable contributions and relationships between academic staff and their fellow citizens.

The Association would like to thank the members of the Awards Committee. The Committee was chaired by Faculty Association Vice-President Justine Wheeler (LCR) and included four Association members: Michael Wright (HSB), Josh Taron (SAPL), Justin Burkett (Nursing), and Elizabeth-Anne Johnson (LCR).