A new research project working in partnership with Indigenous communities to synthesize knowledge and share findings in a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed way is underway at Acadia.

The Weaving Stories of Gender: A Wabanaki-Labrador Knowledge Sharing Initiative has received $199,948 from the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) to mobilize findings from the research activities of members of the Wabanaki-Labrador Indigenous Health Research Network (WLN).

With a focus on integrating gender perspectives, Weaving Stories of Gender, led by Dr. Shelley Price (Business),Dr. Jenny Rand (WLN Research Associate and Project Coordinator) and Dr. Tara Pride (WLN Principal Investigator), aims to strengthen Indigenous health research in our region.

The team has identified four key activities to deliver their project: an Atlantic Indigenous gender and wellness gathering, a co-created integrated toolkit for researchers, multimedia knowledge sharing, and an ongoing capacity bridging network. Centering Indigenous knowledge-sharing practices, the team will be including ceremony, traditional teachings, arts-based approaches and storytelling throughout the project.

Across the four Atlantic provinces, the WLN is made up of over 300 members. Their members are a diverse, dynamic and interdisciplinarity coalition of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Inuit, Innu, and Passamaquoddy community members, organizations, health professionals, students, academics, Elders, Knowledge Holders, traditional healers and allies.

 

Pictured in image from left to right: Drs Shelley Price, Tara Pride, and Jenny Rand.