novembre 3, 2024
This October, three members of the Indigenous Initiatives team at Can-SOLVE CKD gave a presentation to kidney care providers across British Columbia, as part of the BC Renal and UBC’s province-wide rounds. Their presentation emphasized the importance of building respectful partnerships with Indigenous communities and ensuring Indigenous leadership in research, using some examples from the Can-SOLVE CKD network.
Jocelyn Jones, a member of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, emphasizes the importance of people working in healthcare and research to attend such events.
“It’s important to engage with Indigenous communities, to acknowledge the history of colonialism and the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma,” she explains. « By moving forward in a good way, we can foster relationships and create a health system that’s grounded in healing and reconciliation »
Opening the presentation to BC Renal staff, Catherine Turner, who is Red River Métis, outlined the six “R’s” that the network aims to embody as it engages with Indigenous peoples, which include: respect, reciprocity, relevance, reflection, relationships and reconciliACTION.
“Respect is to honour the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and [be aware that] Indigenous people know what is needed to be successful,” she explained to attendees of the virtual event. “Relevance means we invite participation – instead of imposing participation – within our activities.”
She went on to highlight an example of how researchers on the used these principles meaningfully in their engagement with Indigenous peoples in Alberta. They did so by engaging with Indigenous leaders and community members in meetings, listening to stories, and creating spaces to amplify Indigenous voices.
“By valuing the wisdom of elders and community leaders, researchers can foster sustainable practices that honour both scientific inquiry and cultural heritage,” Turner emphasized.
Another part of her talk highlighted the importance of using Indigenous measures of success to evaluate research projects (e.g., how well does the research align with the priorities of the community, build community capacity, resurgence of traditions, ensure self-determination). She gave a special shout out to the Kidney Check project as a prime example of a culturally safe project that uses Indigenous measures of success well.
Jones, the Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement and Research Council (IPERC) coordinator gave an overview of IPERC and how it helps amplify Indigenous voices within the Can-SOLVE CKD network, as well as supports Indigenous perspectives and partnerships in research. She also pointed listeners to the new Meno Ya Win resource, a website that offers Indigenous tailored information on kidney disease.
Last but not least, Cultural Competency Manager Craig Settee, of Fisher River Cree Nation, emphasized to listeners the importance of decolonization. He provided an overview of the Learning Pathway, a eight-step program that researchers can take to build culturally safe and respectful partnerships with Indigenous peoples.
It includes land acknowledgments, KAIROS blanket exercises, OCAP principles, webinar series on Indigenous Research and Ethics Protocols, the role of Knowledge Keepers in Research, and a “cultural competency knowledge bundle” of additional resources to look into for ongoing learnings. Settee elaborated on why engaging with Knowledge Keepers is particularly important.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak and share about the work of IPERC and the Indigenous Initiatives team at the Can-SOLVE CKD Network,” Jones says. “I hope a key take away was to look into the many different resources we shared, especially the Meno Ya Win Kidney Health Series, as part of a journey to reconciliaction.”
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