Welcome to the Indigenous Child Welfare Research Network training

(ICWRN) Lekwungen Lands www.uvic.ca/icwr

Phase One

Phase One Outline

9:00 Prayer and welcome

9:15 Introductions: training agenda, ICWR Network and team

9:30   Butch and Bradley Dick Sna’heynut: Family Box of Treasures

10:45 NUTRITION BREAK

11:00 Butch and Bradley Dick

11:45 Demystifying Indigenous research

12:00 LUNCH–CATERED BY HILDA MASON

1:00 Western definitions of research and knowledge

1:30 What is Indigenous research? Reclaiming and restorying research

2:00 Group work

2:30 NUTRITION BREAK

2:45 Group work and debrief

3:45 EVALUATIONS

4:00 Wrap up and closing words

  ICWRN history   Our vision and logo   Relearn; Renew; Retell   Diverse identities and places   Our website   Our initiatives   Next steps

ICWRN Research Training

 Indigenous models of research  Collective Training Planning

 Inclusion of all voices  Community-based

 Accessible  “Research as Stories”  “Research in Action”

This design is called Protection. In the designs themselves I have used human hands to symbolize the helping hand of the organization. The hands and arms wrap around the ravens (symbolizing children) to portray the protection that will be provided by the organization. I chose ravens to represent the children because in Salish mythology ravens are symbols of changes in life and transformation, which I thought would be a perfect representation for what the Indigenous Child Welfare Research Project does.

Sna’heynut: Family Box of Treasure Butch and Bradley Dick

1:00 Western definitions of research and knowledge

1:30 What is Indigenous research? Reclaiming and restorying research

2:00 Group work

2:30 NUTRITION BREAK

2:45 Group work and debrief

3:45 EVALUATIONS

4:00 Wrap up and closing words

How do Euro-Western thinkers in academia and government

define research?

85% of the world population was colonized by European powers (Said, 1979). Colonization entailed the destruction of

Indigenous communities and economies, knowledge bases, the transmission of knowledge over time, spiritual beliefs, and political forms of self-governance. European educational

systems, European languages, and European forms of social, political and economic systems were imposed instead.

(Jiwani, 1997, p. 5).

Assumptions that guide research designs tend to reflect the modernist oppositional binaries and dualisms, hierarchical classification systems, essentialist, fixed, homogeneous categories, and claims about truth and knowledge that underlie and perpetuate the elevation of western values, beliefs, practices and thought over those of all “Others”

(Smith, 1999, p. 56).

“Young men, you’ve now reached the age when it is essential you know the rites and rituals, the customs and taboos of our island. Rather than go into

them in detail, however, I’m simply going to present each of you with a copy of this excellent book by Margaret Mead”.

The word itself, ‘research,’ is probably one of the dirtiest words in the indigenous world’s vocabulary. The ways in which research

is implicated in the worst excesses of colonialism remains a powerful remembered history for many of the world’s colonized

peoples (Smith, 1999, p. 1).

"[Research] is a ceremony for improving your relationship with an idea." 

S. Wilson

“Research” stories have many faces and many histories

Research methodologies as film genres

Straight-to-DVD films Good intentions, few results

RCAP, Hughes report, lengthy program evaluations, etc.

Co-produced Partnership-based research

Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners Blended methods and approaches

My community overall is trying to look after [our] health and wellbeing. The community is really open to any kind of prevention with our people, and they’re trying to raise a healthy community. Research is a tool to get there.

(research participant)

ABORIGINAL ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND SMOKING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Report of Key Findings

Action Flicks

Putting stories into action

A Community-Based Model for Urban Aboriginal Adoptions

THE NONG SILA URBAN ADOPTIONS PROJECT

This is our model of governance; it is about us caring for our kids like we have since time immemorial. They tried it their way and it doesn’t work. Let’s try it with our traditions and our spiritual teachings.– Elder

Native Documentaries Using research to document teachings,

stories, protocols and ethics

Investigative Journalism Bringing issues to light

Policy change

It wasn’t supposed to be like this! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

It’s just the way it is.

No Space

Juggling Demands

Fear of “system” Custody

Issues

Protecting, Watching, Worrying

Hopes, Dreams, Joys

Keeping Children In Community

Teachings

Defining Family

Children’s Films Engaging children and youth

in positive research

Art Films Using diverse methods (songs, carving,

stories, masks, photography, theatre, etc.)

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 Deeply contextual/Incredibly diverse  Recentering, reclaiming of

family and community systems  Traditional processes/protocols  Community-paced   “Under the institutional radar”  Multiple partners and advisors  Direct engagement at all levels

  How do you use research about Aboriginal communities at every level of your work?

  What is missing from this research/what are the limitations? Strengths?

  How could you create, promote and use Indigenous research differently?

EVALUATIONS How can you use today’s information

in your work? Next steps?

THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TODAY

PLEASE JOIN THE ICWR NETWORK:

http://web.uvic.ca/icwr/