By
Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (UAKN)
Atlantic Research Centre Executive Committee Members
For
The CAURA East & CAREB Atlantic Conference
UNB Fredericton NB, Nov 21-22 2013


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

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.


Community-driven research
 Protection
 Fairness
 Respect

Honesty

Community relevance & practicality


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

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 PFCE indicators”

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 offreserve families?”; and “How can we improve services for urban Aboriginal people in Fredericton?”

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

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


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

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 PFCE indicators”

Red

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

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

Dr. Verlé Harrop vharrop@gmail.com
506 453 4550 www.UAKN.org