Exploring Cultural Connections and Advocacy: My Field Placement with the Manitoba Inuit Association

 By Alice Egbedeyi, 1st year MDP student

As a Master's in Development Practice (MDP) student, my field placement with the Manitoba Inuit Association (MIA) has been an incredibly enriching experience. Located in the heart of Winnipeg, MIA is an Indigenous non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the unique needs and evolving requirements of the Inuit living in Manitoba. My role within this organization was the Research and Development Officer and the projects I've been involved in have allowed me to gain valuable insights into the complexities of community development and cultural preservation.

My workplace at the Manitoba Inuit Association

 One of the central aspects of my role at MIA has been contributing to their ongoing housing project initiatives. This involved extensive research to provide evidence-based support for grant applications addressing the housing needs of the organization's community members. Through this project, I've gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the Inuit community in Manitoba and the importance of secure and adequate housing.

Apart from the housing project, I've also been privileged to support cultural appreciation programs within the organization and engage in community outreach activities. These experiences have allowed me to connect with the Inuit community on a personal level, gaining insights into their rich cultural heritage and the chalenges they face.

In action, engaging with community

One of the most rewarding aspects of my field placement has been the opportunity to directly implement the academic knowledge and skills I've gained to my work with MIA. The MDP program provided me with a solid foundation in development practice, and applying this knowledge in a real-world context has been immensely rewarding.

In conclusion, my field placement with the Manitoba Inuit Association has been a transformative experience. It has allowed me to immerse myself in the Inuit culture, engage in meaningful advocacy work, and apply the principles of development practice to make a positive impact in the community. This experience has reinforced my commitment to working towards sustainable development and social justice, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the vital work of the Manitoba Inuit Association.

Gardening and Development

By Leah McDonnell, 1st year MDP student

Leah in the garden

With my final days at NorWest Community Food Centre are closing in, I have begun to self-reflect on my time here.  Although I was designated to mainly support the creation of a traditional Indigenous medicine garden, I have been able to participate in many other areas of development through the organization. 

However, one of the biggest learning points for myself to take away from this internship is that I can garden.  I’m actually pretty darn good at it too.  I never thought that I would gain so many skills so quickly. I am lucky insofar as I work with a very supportive staff and the garden manager has decided to use this specific community garden as a learning experience.  What does that mean?  It’s ok to make mistakes (in my case, probably a few mistakes).  However, I have probably learned more by being able to try different ideas and make mistakes than I would have if I was given a strict set of rules. It also creates a very easy-going feel through the community garden itself, allowing people to come out, learn a little bit and relax in a safe and supportive environment.

Weekly community farmer's market in Blake Gardens

During my time at NorWest I have been involved with many different programs that run through the centre.  One of the most effective programs NorWest runs, in my opinion, is the weekly community farmer’s market in Blake Gardens.  The organization purchases, in bulk, various veggies, fruits, meats and eggs. Then sells these products back to community members at cost - for example, 5 bananas for $1CDN, 6 eggs for $1.50, etc.  The prices are kept as low as possible and the market does not make a profit.  Instead, it uses the money made during the week to invest in groceries for next week’s market.  While most of the produce will sell out, any that is left over is taken back to the food centre and is used in community lunches, so there is no waste.   

As there are direct linkages to access to healthy nutrition and development (both mental and physical) this market is able to address immediate needs in the community by providing healthy foods at affordable pricing.  While working at the market, I also got to know a lot of people in the community and made and fostered some great relationships. 

While I am sad that my time at NorWest is over, I have had a wonderful (and resume building) experience.

Miigwetch

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