My time at Immigration Partnership (IPW)

By Fiona Slota, 1st year MDP student

Where I am working:

My name is Fiona (She/Her), I’m currently completing my field placement at Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW), located within the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. IPW has a strong commitment to our Winnipeg community. There is a strong focus on improving and strengthening Newcomer-Immigrant inclusion and engagement. With an emphasis on local partnerships. IPW recognize that community engagement has a significant impact on the livelihood of people in our communities.

My Role & Projects:

My role involves analyzing and visualizing statistical data from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) into infographics that will communicate and advocate key information, like where Permanent Residents are residing in Manitoba. How many Permanent Residents are there in Manitoba? This is with the intention of supporting Permanent Residents’ rights to vote in local elections in Manitoba.

• I am actively learning about the impact of data and its potential as a tool to empower communities and advocate for additional rights.

• I am making an active connection between my program of study in Indigenous Development and working in the community as a partners and advocate for the Rights of Peoples.

Activities I have been active in:

• Creating Infographics

• Participating in the Newcomer Welcome Fair (a yearly event)

• Attending weekly/monthly meetings within the organization and sharing updates on my progress

• Building relationship with interns from other universities also working at IPW

• Engaging in conversations with community members and partnership/ing organizations.

What I am Learning:

• I am actively learning about the impact of data and its potential as a tool to empower communities and advocate for additional rights.

• I am making an active connection between my program of study in Indigenous Development and working in the community as a partners and advocate for the Rights of Peoples.

My placement with IPW has been an amazing experience. I learn to find my voice and build my confidence. I became part of a community that is doing amazing work in Winnipeg. Often it is easy to talk about data. And using statistics to categorize people. But behind each statistic is a very human and personal story.

 

Waapihk – “We see”

By Britney Champagne, 1st year MDP student

Taanshi! I find the hardest part of starting a blog post is the beginning. I guess a good place to start is with my name! My name is Britney Champagne, and I am a 26-year-old Red River Métis woman. This blog post is about the field placement MDP students took part in over the summer months! For myself, I had the absolute pleasure of working with Waapihk Research.

Waapihk is an Indigenous owned and operated company which plays a supporting role by providing data-driven research to answer questions related to Indigenous health and education systems. Their office is located in the heart of Downtown Winnipeg with an amazing view of the city. The staff at Waapihk has a diverse range of educational backgrounds which contributes to well-rounded research. They are truly committed to reconciliation work with Indigenous peoples and it shows in the work they produce and their data management.

During my 3-month period with Waapihk, I was working as a Student Researcher on the Education files. I conducted a case study, collaborated on a report based on the findings, developed high-level summaries, contributed to the Waapihk blog, enhanced power-point presentations, and supported other departments as necessary. I also had the opportunity to fly out to Thunder-Bay for a 2-day Education Summit!

Waapihk Research is a wonderful place to work and I am super grateful to have met everyone. The team welcomed me with open arms and I felt right at home. I have made many new life-long friends.

MDP alumn Stacey Woods (L) & Britney (R)

Dominica and Kalinago Resilience

By Leslie Kirkness, 1st year MDP student

I have had the fantastic opportunity to complete my international practicum in Dominica, working with Irvince Auguiste and the Kalinago Community, where I studied disaster management, indigenous governance, and the culture and customs of the indigenous peoples in the Caribbean. Upon my arrival in Dominica, I was warmly welcomed and made to feel a part of the community. I met many individuals who have further enhanced my experience in Dominica and taught me valuable lessons, whether intentionally or not.

While in Dominica, I had the opportunity to learn about disaster management, with a primary focus on the Indigenous community of the Kalinago people and their disaster management practices. Disaster management is essential for all communities as disasters can strike at any time. In Dominica, the island experiences hurricane seasons every year from June to October. Furthermore, hurricanes aren't the only natural disaster that can occur, as the island has active volcanoes, is earthquake-prone, and can experience a multitude of human-caused disasters. I learned in the Kalinago Community that there are eight Hamlets (communities), and each Hamlet has a disaster management committee and a leader who oversees all aspects of Disaster needs. Each community has a shelter for community members to access. However, through all this preparation, the committees suffer from a lack of disaster management equipment and from a failure to maintain up-to-date training for community members who assist in times of disaster.

I have also had the opportunity to attend the meetings of the Kalinago chief and council. This was a great experience, and I am so happy to have been invited. The Kalinago people have elected their first female chief, Annet, who has been gracious in accepting me into the community. I have learned a great deal about how the Kalinago people govern and the issues they are addressing. I have learned that the primary concern for the Kalinago people is the lack of economic development and growth opportunities for their community. Chief Annet is working hard to bring more opportunities into the community. Chief Annet is hoping to connect with a leader from my community to learn more about how Indigenous people in Canada approach economic development. I have been and continue to try to make this connection for Chief Annet.

Lastly, the primary purpose of my international placement was to work with an Indigenous community, allowing me to learn about their culture, traditions, and issues surrounding Indigenous peoples in different parts of the world. Having lived and learned about the Kalinago people, I have learned a great deal. It's interesting to know about the issues affecting Indigenous people in various parts of the world. Many problems that surround Indigenous communities I have observed are pretty similar to each other, yet vastly different in combating these issues for proper resolution for each community.

Overall, my practicum has been a great experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been invited and to have learned so much from such resilient people who continue to work towards self-sufficiency and resilience.

Thank you,

Leslie Kirkness

Leslie presenting a star blanket as a gift of friendship to Chief Annet and the cultural coordinator for the Kalinago people, Elder Mary