The Activisit in Me

By Nana Ama Addae-Boahene, 1st year MDP student

Issues about water and sanitation in First Nation communities are worsening and becoming very expensive to fix. For my field placement this summer, I have been working with the Economic Cluster of the Water Rights Research Consortium to learn about advocacy in general and develop a potential advocacy strategy First Nation communities can use to campaign for clean water and sanitation in their communities.

To understand indigenous rights campaign issues in Canada, I was lucky enough to spend an amazing three days with Amnesty International Canada, a leading advocacy organisation in the world located in Ottawa. I was again fortunate enough to shadow Craig Benjamin, Campaigner for Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples at Amnesty and learn from him the appropriate advocacy techniques I can use to develop my own strategies.

Door to hostel room

My trip had an perfect start when I booked a room to stay at the popular Jailhouse Hostel located in Ottawa. A real jailhouse converted into a hostel. The weird notion of spending three nights in a jail cell created the perfect buzz and excitement I needed for this trip.

I had a wonderful conversation and learning opportunity with Craig who explained to me where indigenous rights issues stand right now in Canada and how we can better push these issues to the forefront of public discussions. I also had the pleasure to attend a Symposium on the Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples organised by the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies. I had the honour of listening to leading human rights experts in Canada on various panel discussions.

I took part in the “Our dreams matter” campaign in honour of Shannen’s Dream an inspiring teenager who stood up for the rights to equal funding for schools both on and off reserves. It was emotional listening to non-aboriginal children campaigning for schools on reserve. This campaign became a model for development of my proposed strategy since it has been described as one of the most successful campaign in Canada.

I also had the opportunity to meet with Sylvia Smith a member of the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement of Canada. We had a very candid conversation about the state of indigenous rights campaigns in Canada and also provided me with some wonderful pointers I could use in the development of my campaign strategy.

I was invited to sit in the campaigns meeting at Amnesty International and had the privilege to be privy to certain campaigns there were involved in around the world. I learnt about the various preparations that go into the roll out of campaigns by a huge organisation as Amnesty International. This was followed by a quick tutorial into how to run a successful social media page.

I had a wonderful time in Ottawa despite the rains. And I was reaffirmed in my belief that the work of the activist is never done

Reflections on the UCN Placement

By Heidi Cook, MDP student

The University College of the North (UCN) is an invaluable resource for education and development in northern Manitoba. You don’t hear much about it in southern Manitoba but UCN is all over the north with two campuses and twelve regional centres. They are doing some really great things, like implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) for one. 

Pisew Falls, south of Thompson, Manitoba

There are plenty of opportunities, big and small, to connect UNDRIP to on-the-ground action. At UCN a big focus is on Aboriginal content and perspectives being reflected in the curriculum. This goes a long way to promote understanding and combat discrimination, one of the goals of the Declaration.

When the outgoing academic specialist sends you her position advertisement, you know you did a pretty good job. I expected to learn about UCN and the Natural Resources Management Technology (NRMT) program through conversations and observing meetings, however there were opportunities for me to get more involved in the program review by doing some research and providing context for the review. 

The people you meet really are the best part of the placement experience. In both my placements I have made lifelong friendships and expanded my professional network.

Elder Stella Neff, UCN Elders Council

Implementing the UNDRIP in Northern Manitoba

By Heidi Cook, MDP student

University College of the North main campus in The Pas

University College of the North (UCN) is a post-secondary institution established in 2004 from the former Keewatin Community College. The mission of the UCN is “to ensure northern communities and people will have opportunities, knowledge and skills to contribute to an economically, environmentally and culturally healthy society inclusive and respectful of diverse northern and Aboriginal values and beliefs.” UCN has two main campuses in The Pas and Thompson, and a network of regional centres that deliver programs in First Nations communities. 

Trappers Festival's winning dog team

I came to UCN because the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has been adopted by the institution and the implementation of it through strategic planning and program reviews is underway. The implementation of the UNDRIP at UCN shows it is a progressive institution with strong leadership and dedication to its mission serving northern and indigenous peoples. In some ways UCN already is implementing aspects of the UNDRIP, although not explicitly. UCN has a unique governance structure that includes an Elders Council alongside the Governing Council and Learning Council, and the Kenanow Learning Model that is the foundation for the Bachelor of Education program.

When I arrived in The Pas in January I was greeted by bitter cold alternating with massive snowfalls. The people are very warm however, and I have been welcomed in my host home and in the offices at UCN. I’m following the lead of others involved in the program review of the Natural Resources Management Technology (NRMT) program. It has been a good experience to go through the progressive steps of a program review and to observe how people’s input at each step feeds into the next. My role so far has been to collect and present information to feed into the review process, some of it for comparative analysis of the NRMT program against other natural resource college programs. I presented an introduction to UNDRIP in early December, now the part of the process where UNDRIP is brought in is coming up and I am preparing to put together the report that will cap my placement.