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31st Annual RPL Conference

  • May 27, 2020
  • May 29, 2020
  • Ramada Inn, Belleville, Ontario

THE INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS RPL COLLECTIVE

31ST ANNUAL RPL CONFERENCE 

May 27-29, 2020

“RPL: Awakening Individuals and Organizations; Strengthening Cultures”

December 11, 2019

Dear Colleague:

On behalf of the conference planning committee it is my pleasure to invite you to the 31st Annual RPL Conference.

This conference will be the first opportunity to share our newly completed International Indigenous RPL Practitioner Manual. The Manual demonstrates the integration of best practices from mainstream prior learning with the teachings of Indigenous Peoples. It shines a light on the flexibility of the portfolio as a powerful tool that can positively influence the lives of individuals, change the structure and function of organizations and strengthen Indigenous cultures.

The conference theme is based on the firm belief that RPL is a positive force in a rapidly changing world, building bridges instead of walls and opening up new opportunities and vistas for individuals and organizations. Our goal is to explore the power of RPL as a change management process which positively impacts the quality of our lives and to provide concrete examples of its impact on individuals, organizations and communities.

The conference will take place at the Ramada Inn (formerly the Travelodge) in Belleville, Ontario, May 27- 29, 2020. We hope you will join with us in continuing to strengthen and expand the practice of prior learning and adult friendly approaches that acknowledge the legitimate learning needs of adults.

Additional information will be available on our website (www.theindigenouscollective.org) and by email early in 2020 regarding the conference program, conference registration, the call for proposals and hotel registration. As always, we welcome ideas and suggestions regarding topics for workshops and plenary sessions. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in May.

Feel free to contact me at, zakos@sympatico.ca if you have questions related to any aspect of the conference. Please share this information with others who may be interested.

Happy Holidays!

Yours truly,

Paul Zakos, Chair, Conference Planning Committee



Adina Gray is an educator, speaker, and founder of PurpleOwl AI, a training and consulting firm that helps educators and business professionals harness the power of Generative AI. She also serves as AI Initiatives Lead at Thompson Rivers University, Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, and Advisor for AI & Digital Strategy with the Central Interior Business Accelerator.

With over 15 years of experience in post-secondary education, Adina designs AI literacy programs and delivers hands-on workshops locally and internationally. She has presented and led sessions across Canada, the United States, Europe and Latin America. A 2025 Women in AI North America Awards Finalist and recipient of the 2025 AI Innovator Award at the AI Revolution in Education Show in San Diego, she is committed to making AI accessible and human centered.

Learn more about Adina, here: purpleowlai 


Sunita is the Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials.

Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly, Sunita worked as a language instructor at SUCCESS, a non-profit organization that supports newcomers on their settlement journey. She has helped hundreds of people learn English and connect with their new communities in British Columbia. She holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Education degrees from Panjab University, as well as a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate from Vancouver Community College. 

Sunita has two children with her husband, Navdeep, who works as a longshoreman, and together they live in Vancouver. 

Learn more here: https://www.leg.bc.ca/members/43rd-Parliament/Dhir-Sunita 


Stan Daniels (T’ult) is a Secwépemc educator, author, and governance practitioner whose work centers Indigenous storywork as a legal, pedagogical, and relational framework for change. An uncle, brother, son, nephew, and friend first, he grounds his work in kinship accountability, community responsibility, and obligation to future generations. He holds a Master of Education and is the author of Tscwinúcw-k: The Stars of the Secwépemc, a book that honours grief, ancestry, and guidance through Secwépemc teachings.

Stan has worked across governance, education, and Indigenous systems transformation as an elected councillor, policy and governance advisor, project manager, and post-secondary instructor. He has supported Indigenous Nations in law-making, jurisdictional implementation, program and service design, and cultural resurgence, with a particular interest in how story carries law, memory, and responsibility across generations and into institutions.

His work is guided by a central question: If stories carry law, memory, and obligation, what responsibilities do we assume when we carry them into institutional spaces?

Stan approaches storywork like a rez dog: grounded in place, loyal to the people, wary of imposed fences, and always reading the ground before moving forward.

BC Prior Learning Action Network


Email Address: info@bcplan.ca

Mailing Address: 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5G 3H2

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