Conducting Research with Aboriginal Communities in Atlantic Canada By Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (UAKN) Atlantic Research Centre Executive Committee Members For The CAURA East & CAREB Atlantic Conference UNB Fredericton NB, Nov

Greetings from the UAKN Atlantic Executive Committee and guests…

Outline Introduce UAKN Atlantic UAKN’s Guiding Ethical Principles & funding criteria Lisa Jodoin & Patsy McKinney: living examples of what constitutes community engagement Reviewing research proposals: identifying “red flags” REB guidance for researchers Reflections & questions

UAKN Overview The goal of the UAKN is to be a durable research infrastructure that focuses attention on urban Aboriginal concerns and contributes to a better quality of life for Aboriginal people living in cities and towns by: Funding high-quality, policy-relevant community driven research undertaken in partnership between UAKN Regional Research Centres and the community -- that bring together urban Aboriginal communities, academic and government perspectives; and by Engaging Aboriginal community stakeholders, government and academics in an ongoing dialogue on policy priorities and research needs.

UAKN Guiding Ethical Principles Community-driven research Protection Fairness Respect Honesty Community relevance & practicality

UAKN Atlantic Ethical Research Funding Criteria Community-driven (community-based & community-paced) Team: community-partner, academic, elder, government, student, community researcher, government representative; promotes KSTE Chapter 9: TCPS 2 Research Agreement Builds research capacity: “research by” vs. “research on” Grounded in a historical/broader context Appropriate REB processes

What Constitutes Community Engagement: Living Examples Lisa Jeanne Jodoin, PhD Candidate UNB, Principle Investigator “Navigating government services: the "lived experience" of young urban Aboriginal families residing in Fredericton NB” Patsy McKinney, Executive Director, Under One Sky Head Start and Chair National Aboriginal Head Start Council “Grounding the work of urban Aboriginal early child development programs: development of a culturally appropriate parent/family/community engagement (PFC-E) framework and suite of meaningful PFC-E indicators”

“Navigating Government Services” Project Description As evidenced in the Bernard Richard report on First Nations child welfare in New Brunswick (2010), Aboriginal families face many challenges navigating government services and all too often fall through the cracks. This proposed research deepens our understanding of this population and the challenges they face in relation to the system by asking questions such as: “In what ways are government services working effectively to meet the needs of off-reserve aboriginal families in Fredericton?”; “In what ways are government services not working effectively for off-reserve families?”; and “How can we improve services for urban Aboriginal people in Fredericton?”

Community Partners … Patsy McKinney – Under One Sky Head Start Jenny Perley (Community Researcher) – Under One Sky Head Start Carol Labillois-Slocum – New Brunswick Aboriginal People’s Council Wendy Wetteland – New Brunswick Aboriginal People’s Council Amanda Leblanc – New Brunswick Aboriginal People’s Council Shelley Germain – Gignoo Transition House Gary Gould – Skigin-Elnoog Housing Corporation

Government Partners … Carla Gregan-Burns – NB Department of Social Development Bill MacKenzie – NB Department of Social Development Blake McNeil – NB Department of Social Development Louise Hale Finley – NB Department of Social Development Donna Wahienha:wi Lahache: NB Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Keeping the research community-driven The research question was developed by the community The TCPS 2 Research Agreement Community researcher Focus group follow up meetings to ensure accuracy of data and to foster community engagement Collaborative analysis of data Collaborative drafting of final report Impact – follow up work to ensure the research makes real change for the community

Living Example #2: National UAKN RFP Submission … Patsy McKinney, Executive Director, Under One Sky Head Start and Chair National Aboriginal Head Start Council Research Proposal Title: “Grounding the work of urban Aboriginal early child development programs: development of a culturally appropriate parent/family/community engagement (PFC-E) framework and suite of meaningful PFC-E indicators”

Research Proposal: “Red Flags” Not community-driven; limited community engagement Issues that can be misconstrued Feeds into existing stereotypes System-centric not person/community/people-centric Culturally inappropriate Methodology: inclusion/exclusion: power/control People/persons not involved in a good way (apathy) Outcomes: nothing done with the results, KT

REB Guidance for Researchers “conducting research with Aboriginal communities”… Colonial language (on the part of the researcher & REB) Acknowledge the community’s history & its impact on proposed program of research Community-driven; community-based & community-paced, not researcher-driven (ask,“Who has control?) Inclusive TEAM approach supporting KTSE, good policy development and policy/practice implementation Chapter 9: TCPS 2 Research Agreement Build the community’s research capacity

Questions & Discussion Discussants/UAKN Atlantic Executive Committee Members: Patsy McKinney, Executive Director, Under One Sky Head Start, Fredericton, NB Lisa Jeanne Jodoin, PhD Candidate & PI UAKN Atlantic funded research project, Fredericton, NB Verlé Harrop, Director UAKN Atlantic, UNB Fredericton

Contact Info & Resource Dr. Verlé Harrop