ISAP Summer Start 2023 will offer an immersive campus experience for Indigenous students new to the College of Arts and Science Saskatoon Campus.

Ready, Set… Go!

Held August 21 ^st to 23 ^rd at the University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Campus, ISAP Summer Start includes three days of activities and experiences designed to launch your USask Student Experience.

All sessions are led by ISAP Program Staff, Peer Leaders, and Faculty and Instructors from the academic departments and service groups you’ll be interacting with on campus as a first-year student. You’ll select sessions to attend that match your academic interests, meeting Indigenous students who share your academic goals as your build your Community for Learning. We’ll include lots of opportunities for networking, team learning challenges, meals, snacks, and fun!

Stack Your Academic Toolkit

Summer Start sessions will introduce you to USask resources, digital learning platforms, and a rich cultural and community network of support. We’ll meet the Trish Monture Centre academic advising team and spend time in lecture theatres, classrooms, and laboratory spaces.

Sessions hosted by the USask Library Learning Hub and ISAP Peer Mentors will focus on skills and strategies to succeed in undergraduate courses: e.g., Which note-taking strategies are best for which courses? What are exams like? What kinds of materials and tech are recommended for my classes?

View our Summer Start 2023 schedule  (Coming Soon)

Your USask, your Saskatoon

Our Summer Start BINGO card will give you a chance to win prizes while completing new student “must-dos” with help from the ISAP team. We’ll tour campus venues, learn about the best places to eat and study on campus, and students new to Saskatoon (or new to Saskatoon Transit) can sign-up to join an adventure-themed City of Saskatoon bus tour Wednesday, August 23 ^rd.

ISAP Summer Start Keynote Lecture

Each year, ISAP Peer Mentors invite a noted Indigenous faculty member to provide a lecture on a topic of special interest during ISAP Summer Start. We are excited to host Dr. Kristina Fagan Bidwell, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Storytelling.

Tuesday, August 22nd, 3:00-4:00 PM Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre

Past speakers:

• 2023: Dr. Priscilla Settee, Indigenous Studies: “Indigenous Resilience and Food Sovereignty.”
• 2022: Dr. Kathy Walker, Department of Political Studies: “ sihkos or weasel teaches us how to research”
• 2021: Dr. Benjamin Hoy,  Department of History: Treaty Lines and the 49 ^th Parallel
• 2020: Dr. Simon Lambert, Department of Indigenous Studies: Indigenous Communities’ Crisis Response, Practice and Policy
• 2019: Dr. Holly Graham,  College of Nursing, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing: Indigenous Perspectives in Community Health

Attention Student Parents – ISAP is partnering is Sci-Fi Science Camps!

Do you have school-aged children in your care the week of ISAP Summer Start? We have 20 spaces available for youth, aged 5 to 14, to join you on campus! Sci-Fi Science camps will plan morning and afternoon activity sessions each day. Pre-registration is required, and spaces are limited, so if childcare is key to your ability to attend Summer Start 2023, sign-up and reserve spaces for your kids today. 

Celebrating Next Steps

We’ll wrap up Summer Start with a Celebration of your entrance to post-secondary studies in the College of Arts and Science. Students, families and friends are invited to join us for the annual ISAP Summer Start BBQ:  4-6pm Wednesday August 23rd in the Arts Thorvaldson Greenspace.

Questions about ISAP Summer Start?