Noah is a digital systems consultant* at the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. Their work is informed by their background in their masters of archival studies and their time as a Finding Aid Writer at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, where they gained experience working in a facility that focuses on the needs of Survivors. Noah’s focus on the relation between archives and social justice are key elements in the importance of their role at the centre.
Noah’s work at the Centre involves research projects using various archives’ digital collections and communicating with the Centre’s collections team. Currently, Noah is working on a research project involving the UBC Opera and its upcoming production about the Holocaust and its legacy. Noah’s involvement is in relation to the symposium on cultural genocide held by the Opera in recognition of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.
Reconciliation is part of what makes working and learning in archives important to Noah. They believe that as a settler, it is important to be a part of the effort in working towards reconciliation. And, they recognize that there is a lot of progress to do be made the archives world surrounding reconciliation and decolonization. Being at RSHDC has been a way for them to recognize and pursue that goal. From a more social angle, Noah focuses on supporting Survivor’s voices.
“I aim to help create a Survivor-centred and trauma-informed space so that Survivors and their families will feel welcome and supported here,” says Noah. “If we can create a space that meets survivor needs, then we will have created a space that will work for students, professors, researchers and anyone else interested in learning about residential schools.”
*Noah is a Digital Systems Specialist at the Centre as of March 2021.