To connect with Be-Dah-Bin Gamik (Indigenous Services), please email us at bedahbingamik@conestogac.on.ca.
To connect with the Office of Indigenous, please fill out our contact form.
Connect with us in person
Are you an Indigenous student seeking support or wanting to connect with like-minded students? Drop by Be-Dah-Bin Gamik – no appointment needed.
Email: bedahbingamik@conestogac.on.ca
Kitchener - Doon: 2A601 (main level; A-Wing)
Waterloo: 1F08 (beside Tim Hortons)
Connect with us on social
Meet the director
Danielle is Anishinaabe kwe from Garden River First Nation and belongs to the Old Turtle Clan.
Within her role as director, Danielle serves several functions:
- To deliver on the College and Institutes Canada (CICan) Indigenous Education Protocols, the Indigenous Success Strategy and Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
- To integrate Indigenous ways of knowing into all facets of college life
- To champion the needs of Indigenous students and employees
- To advise on any Indigenous initiatives that promote Indigenous education, research, curriculum development, academic programming and service delivery through relationship building and knowledge sharing
Danielle looks forward to serving Indigenous students and employees at Conestoga. She has an open-door policy and welcomes the opportunity to get to know you better.
Miigwech
Danielle Boissoneau
Director, Indigenous Initiatives
Email: dboissoneau@conestogac.on.ca
Meet the team
Christina Restoule
Manager, Be-Dah-Bin-Gamik
crestoule@conestogac.on.ca
Christina has been with Conestoga since 2016 and has held positions of support clerk, coordinator, and interim manager before becoming manager of Be-Dah-Bin Gamik (Indigenous Services).
As an active community member and involved with many projects and programs geared toward education and cultural preservation, Christina coordinates programming and services that are both culturally appropriate and meet the specific needs of our educational environment at Conestoga.
Christina is experienced in traditional spiritual health and wellness practices through the Anishinabek ways of living mino bimaadiziwin (a good life). She provides traditional teachings and cultural support to learners, faculty, and staff. She takes pride in preserving Indigenous teachings and traditions and passing them on to the next generation.
Christina has contributed as a cultural representative on committees across Ontario. She is an accomplished jingle dancer and has been showcased as the head dancer at many significant events.
Raven Morand
Indigenous services coordinator, Be-Dah-Bin-Gamik
rmorand@conestogac.on.ca
Raven Morand is an Anishinaabe/Métis Kwe from Thunder Bay. She grew up spending summers in her community of Migisi Sahgaigan (Eagle Lake First Nation) and moved to Kitchener, Ontario, with her family when she was four.
Raven is a dedicated Pow Wow dancer and has been dancing Fancy Shawl for over a decade. Raven has been the head female dancer at many Pow Wows and enjoys her culture through dance and beadwork. Raven actively engages with her community by sitting on various committees and attending community events. Raven is an activist, organizer, and strong advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and land defense.
Anastasia Lyons
Indigenous services coordinator, Be-Dah-Bin-Gamik
aclyons@conestogac.on.ca
A graduate of the University of Guelph in Biological Science with a minor in Media and Cinema Studies, Anastasia has always had a strong passion for creating equitable spaces for all and discovered the opportunity to turn that passion into a career while working on a project with Simon Fraser University as an Indigenous consultant in 2020.
Since 2020, she has continued to work in reconciliation and equity and is thrilled to continue her journey with the college as an Indigenous services coordinator. In addition to her passions around EDI she also loves fitness; she is a certified Antigravity fitness, yoga and barre instructor with experience teaching since 2017.
Jacob Hill
Indigenous student wellness advisor, Indigenous Initiatives
jhill1@conestogac.on.ca
She:kon, Jacob R Hill Yonkyats! Oneyo'te'a:ka niwakonhwentsyo:ten A'No:wara Niwaki'Taro:ten, hello Jacob R Hill is my name, Oneida is my nation and turtle is my clan. I live in Ohswe:ken with my three children, I am a community member, a beading artist and Pow Wow singer. We attend ceremonies and travel to Pow Wows together; dancing and singing have been a big part of our lives. Sharing culture and supporting students holistically has been my approach to student support.
