UAKN Atlantic Knowledge Mobilization Workshop and Atlantic Research Symposium:

Sharing Research Across the Atlantic Provinces

May 15 and 16, 2014 – NBSPRN recently had the pleasure of attending the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network’s Atlantic Knowledge Mobilization Workshop and the Atlantic Research Symposium in Fredericton on May 15th and 16th.

The workshop, held at St. Thomas University, offered Elders, students, academic and non-academic researchers and policy-makers from various backgrounds (including members of community, academic and government groups) to share knowledge as it relates to urban Aboriginal research. The presentations made during this day featured projects at various stages of development (proposals, works-in progress, and projects near completion) and allowed participants the opportunity to offer suggestions, input and guidance based on their area of expertise. The projects ranged from a focus on Treaty education, to school-aged urban Aboriginal identity and were grouped under the UAKN’s four research themes: social cohesion, community engagement, economic development and human development. The second half of the day was slightly different and included two projects that stemmed from community-driven research initiatives including work from the Micmac Native Friendship Centre in Halifax, NS and the Under One Sky Head Start initiative in Fredericton, NB. This allowed the group to reflect on community-based research needs and further on the possibility of future research in this area.

The Symposium, held at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law Building, was titled “Urban Aboriginal People and the Honour of the Crown”and served to ground UNB Professor Dr. Jula Hughes’ community-driven research project on the Duty to Consult with Urban Aboriginals in Atlantic Canada in the experience of community partners. Participants included students, Elders, community organizations, government representatives and scholars from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and even British Columbia! The day was divided into two parts, the first asking community organizations to reflect on the populations they serve and the second focusing on the programs and services they offer or need.   Community organizations were invited to engage in conversation with other participants and speak openly about successes and challenges in program and service delivery as well as future directions. The conversations will ultimately help guide Dr. Hughes’mresearch as she continues her work with the UAKN.

In our opinion, both events were successful in mobilizing research knowledge and were united by the participants who shared the common goal of advancing the urban Aboriginal research capacity to better inform both policy and practice. We look forward to hearing more about the exciting research presented and working with UAKN in the dissemination of these findings by sharing this knowledge with our members here at NBSPRN.   To read more about funding opportunities visit the UAKN website or to be added to the UAKN Atlantic researcher database and/or mailing list, contact Dr. Verlé Harrop (vharrop@gmail.com) Director of the UAKN Atlantic.

Don’t forget to check out NBSPRN’s June 10th event, ” Toward a Better Collaboration: A day of Dialogue on First Nations Child and Family Issues in New Brunswick” http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vers-une-meilleure-collaboration-toward-a-better-collaboration-tickets-11528922317?aff=es2&rank=2