Working from home for the summer

By Janelle Poiron, 1st year MDP student

Tansi. My name is Janelle and this is my first field placement! I’m currently doing my placement with the Evaluation Directorate within Indigenous Services Canada.

I think for me working online has definitely been both a boon and sometimes a difficult experience. As the office I work out of is in Gatineau, Quebec working remotely has been really beneficial as I was able to stay in the hometown throughout the summer. Especially as things open up again it’s been lovely to see friends. Also the commute can’t be beat, I definitely don’t miss trying to get home during rush hour! However, it definitely took getting used to even with having done remote work throughout the school year. Everyone has been super lovely but you do get to miss that human connection that you would get in person. Whether it be stopping by someone’s desk for a chat or grabbing coffee. However, I’ve been very fortunate to meet many of my colleagues for virtual coffee and get to know them more! There’s so many super intelligent people within my directorate and I’ve loved being mentored by them.

One of my challenges is also accommodating my desk within my bedroom and striving to keep it strictly a work area. I’ve found it really easy to place trinkets and other items on my desk but over time I’ve gotten much better at keeping it tidy! Here’s to hoping that trend continues!

Meegwetch for reading!

A Placement of Cooperation and Collaboration

By Tunde Ogunje, 2nd year MDP student

My field placement is in conjunction with two MDP students, Noran Tarek and Karla Godoy, from the University of Minnesota. We are working for the Rainforest Alliance in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén, Guatemala. While I am joining the project remotely, Karla and Noran are physically present in Guatemala.

The project is the continuation of the work the University of Minnesota MDP program has been doing over the years, working with the Rainforest Alliance in trying to develop community enterprises from the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. The NTFPs which consist of the ramón seed, chicle, xate, honey and allspice are created by community concession members in the Reserve who spend their livelihood and earn a good income to create items for the open market. These concessionaires are trained by the Rainforest Alliance, and the forestry divisions in the Petén to properly certify their work to be produced and sold worldwide. The green label seal by Rainforest Alliance certifies the products to be organic, fair trade and sustainable.

We are all working on four projects simultaneously but each of us have responsibility to lead at least one project. I am leading the project to develop a feasibility study for ACOFOP (Association of Forest Communities of Petén) to access government loan to establish a manufacturing business to process Ramon seeds into flour to make cookies.

Raw Ramón seeds

Noran leads the project to develop an Export-Readiness Assessment Report for Non-timber forest products (ramón, xate and honey) in the project area in Guatemala while Karla, who has been doing the job of translating and interpreting English to Spanish and vice versa, leads both the development of working document to formalize the relationship with Teeccino, an American coffee alternative company, and the reviewing and updating an existing business plan for COADAP (Apiculturists Cooperative of Petén).

My placement with Nature United

By Hannah Johnston, 1st year MDP student

I’ve been working at Nature United for my summer field placement! I’ve been working on an inventory project for Indigenous youth on-the-land programs throughout Canada, and learning about these topics has been both enjoyable and applicable to my interests for future endeavors. For the inventory project, we’ve created several “Program snapshots” that represent key information about several of these programs throughout Manitoba, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. Some of the goals with these are to provide a brief overview of the programs for the convenience of those conducting similar programs in different regions, who may use the information as a resource; allow for those planning their own pilot program to see a succinct model demonstrating factors that go into running a program; and facilitating contact between program directors and interested parties, such as potential partner organizations, potential funders, or someone running a program in a different region.

 

Working remotely can be challenging, and a lot of the time I would find myself pausing what I was doing to do some dishes, or take the dogs to the dog park. While it can be difficult to have separate spaces for “work” and “rest,” I found myself grateful for the quality time I got to spend with loved ones (especially at the dog park). A lot of working from home is locking yourself in a room, and accepting that inevitably someone will poke their head in during an important zoom meeting. For situations like this (as well as most situations), self-care is important. I took the time during the summer to reread my favorite books, catch up with friends, and try new things.

 

Developing CCP in Split Lake: A Worthwhile Learning Experience

By Babatunde Alabi, 2nd year MDP student

My ongoing field placement with Tataskweyak Cree Nation (TCN) has so far been an exciting learning opportunity. It allows me to further put some of what I've learned in class into practice, as well as gain a better knowledge of and contribute to an important development program aimed at ensuring that today's dreams become tomorrow's realities.

Tataskweyak Cree Nation, also known as Split Lake, is a northern Manitoba First Nations community that strives to improve its people's well-being and create the opportunity to become more self-reliant and self-sufficient. To do this, the community has begun a Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) process, which will allow it to develop a vision for the future and implement projects to attain its goal.

Joining TCN at a time when the community is forging a path ahead into the future is a great privilege, as it allows me to learn new concepts and translate my academic skills of research and writing into actual practice beyond the walls of the university. My roles during this placement include documents review, data management, planning, organizing, and facilitating. I am also involved in workshop presentations, writing narratives, preparing progress reports and writing CCP draft.

During this placement, I also participated in a training and a Community of Practice (CoP) event on CCP organized by Indigenous Services Canada. This provided a great opportunity to network with other individuals and groups across Canada who are also involved in CCP development.  This placement, along with its accompanying capacity-building initiatives, is an added benefit because it is assisting me in preparing for life after graduation. Working remotely from the comfort of my home to complete tasks and maintaining smooth virtual contacts with my mentor via video conferencing platforms and phone calls is one of the most exciting elements of this placement. I've especially appreciated the remote working experience because it has enhanced my self-confidence and capacity to work independently while still completing tasks without sacrificing quality.

An international placement from home

By Kate Robb, 2nd year MDP student

Although I have been unable to travel due to the continuing pandemic, I have been lucky to have the opportunity to participate in an international field placement. Remotely from my home in Winnipeg, I am working with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) on a project called the Arctic Energy Atlas.

ACEP is an applied energy research program based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. With a focus on innovation and the integration of renewable energy sources into isolated diesel-based energy systems, ACEP's research goes beyond the technical scope to consider energy solutions from a perspective that includes the social and cultural realities of remote communities, as well as the collaboration of researchers and community partners.

ACEP and the University of Winnipeg are both partners in the Community Appropriate Energy Security (CASES) partnership, which aims to reimagine energy security in northern and Indigenous communities. I have been a research assistant for CASES throughout my time in MDP, so this is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with one of our partners.

The project that I am working on is called the Arctic Energy Atlas (AEA), which is a product that delivers information on energy resources, infrastructure, and access across the pan-Arctic. The AEA includes a database complete with maps to illustrate transmission systems, the types of energy sources being used, as well as the types of power consumers (communities and industrial activity). It also includes information on road systems, and the distance to coastlines and rivers to further demonstrate the accessibility of energy in the Arctic. The AEA project is funded by the Office of Naval Research's Arctic Regional Collaboration for Technology Innovation and Commercialization grant.

My specific component of the AEA project is developing a corresponding policy framework that will describe how each Arctic nation is approaching their energy system and development. By presenting information that includes the different utility structures, priority areas for energy development, and government programs and policies across the pan-Arctic, the framework will provide valuable context for the information found in the AEA.

Once complete, the AEA will be useful both for informing policy makers' decisions related to energy in the Artic, as well as ensuring communities and other partners can access information about their own energy systems. It will be available with free access online. Working on this project has been an exciting opportunity to apply my existing knowledge and expand it beyond the Canadian scope. I am excited to continue and see where it leads!

 

Behind the Scenes

By Christy Bird, 1st year MDP student

Boozhoo! I completed my field placement and am thankful for the opportunities that I have had with the First Nation Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM). I cannot thank my supervisor enough for sharing their wealth of knowledge with me and allowing me to participate in the great work that they do.

Aside from academics, I have also been homeschooling my two young daughters since the beginning of the pandemic. This past year and a half have been both challenging and rewarding. While remote field placement has been difficult in terms of time management, it also allowed me to remain home with my daughters and ensure their safety and well-being. The one experience that I did not expect was a great deal of “Mom” guilt. Pre-pandemic, when I was working on a timeline of deliverables, I would call upon my family and friends to entertain my girls while I worked, much more challenging during a pandemic. This year I had to be creative with our time, balancing academics, both mine and theirs, entertainment, social outings, and all the others that fall under being a mom, trying not to forget my self-care. I am thankful for a supportive husband who still cannot find the laundry hamper but is always encouraging and helpful.

The knowledge that I adhered to during my field placement has enriched how I view research, especially when it comes to research with First Nation communities. My field placement has also reinforced that Indigenous ideologies and research are not second tier to western concepts requiring authoritative figures to approve. Again, I am thankful for FNHSSM allowing me the space to learn and grow as the experience and lessons I have learned will carry me forward to ensure I carry a strong voice in the work I take on in the future. Miigwech.

Imua!

By Alex Keone Oldroyd, 2nd year MDP student

Last year I wrote a very optimistic post on this blog about the power of transformation in the face of disaster. When I revisit that post today, especially the line “I like to believe there is no loss, only opportunities for change,” I can’t help but chuckle, not because I now think what I wrote was naïve (even if it was quixotic), but because after a year of the pandemic it’s hard not to feel like part of me has been lost.

Months of zoom fatigue, social distancing (read: isolation), temporal distortion, pandemic overwork, executive dysfunction, and emotional fatigue gave me some serious burnout this winter. It was hard not to give into feelings of self-doubt and the despair of spending so much of a critical time in my life under pandemic paralysis. What would all of this mean for my future?

In my winter, it hardly felt like there was any sort of “transformation” that could come from wasted time. The me that last year believed that even amid disaster there was opportunity for constant progress now believed that this season of difficulty would dog me for decades.

Fortunately, both versions of me are wrong.

Burnout isn’t an easy thing to overcome. It usually begins with acknowledging that you’re burnt out, setting boundaries, taking time to reflect and rest, and rediscovering and refocusing on the meaning of your work. I’m fortunate that I had understanding professors, a strong support network, and a built-in change of pace at the end of the semester. But ironically, the thing that has helped me most is my field placement.

This summer I have the honor of working for Kamehameha Schools, a prominent Native Hawaiian private school system with a strong focus on community and deep connections to my own family history (my grandfather served as a headmaster for KS, and we are descended from the school’s founder). At first, I wasn’t sure how I would handle as serious an undertaking as a field placement after a difficult academic year, but the chance to work for KS was a gift too great to refuse.

My work is with the Strategy Intelligence team, whose mission is to keep KS futures-ready as the organization educates the next generation of Kanaka Maoli leaders and deepens their impact on the lāhui. My role is to provide research and engagement support on several strategic priorities from COVID-19 vaccination efforts to measures of economic wellbeing and beyond.

The work so far has been rewarding, but I feel I’ve gained far more than I’ve given. My mother likes to say that whenever she returns to Hawaiʻi her “blood sings.” That’s the best way I’ve found to describe my experience this summer. My placement has helped me reconnect with my sources of strength that have been eroded by the pandemic: a sense of purpose and momentum, mentorship, the ʻāina, the lāhui, my ancestors, and more. Staying connected to those sources are what will help me avoid future burnout and persevere amid an ever-uncerain future.

Iʻm less eager than I was before to claim that there is no loss, only opportunities for change. My ancestors knew well that sometimes the only way to make progress on the ocean was to go backward. They also understood that life has its cycles and seasons. Transformation is not a linear process of constant upward progress, but a cycle of growth and flourishing and decay and loss.

And if after disaster and burnout no transformation has come? Well, sooner or later the seasons change.

Putting learning into practice

By Mackenzie Roop, 2nd year MDP student

This summer I have the opportunity to work as a policy assistant within the Policy Branch of Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. Working in government and especially policy is a unique position to affect change, I’m excited that my research will help inform policy recommendations.

My research

Presently, there is significant underrepresentation of Indigenous partners in the Agricultural sector. One reason for this could be the barriers Indigenous applicants might face in finding or completing a relevant funding application. To address this, my main research seeks to understand how to better align the department’s funding application process with the needs of Indigenous applicants. To learn more about different experiences and provisions, I am conducting interviews with our department’s application reviewers along with those from other jurisdictions, such as the federal government and provinces from BC to New Brunswick. In addition to interviews, I am launching an EngageMB survey inviting Indigenous applicants to share their experiences and recommendations with the application process.

One of my side projects includes advancing the department’s respectful engagement financial policy, hoping to make it a common and accessible practice to provide traditional gifts and honorariums. I am also preparing background research and drafting policy papers on topics like farmer’s mental health and diversifying production and market opportunities for newcomers.

Back to the Office

I am grateful for the opportunity to have a flexible working environment where I can come into the office or work from home. Most people in the department work from home, so I enjoy an almost empty office space while being fully vaccinated for COVID-19. After over a year of online work and schooling, this is truly a refreshing arrangement.