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.

 

Navigating an online field placement holistically

By Kiera Kowalski, 2nd year MDP student

My family's cabin is my happy place.

I love being on the land, near the water

While this summer feels strikingly similar to the last, many of us working tirelessly behind screens,
showing up to zoom meetings half-done up, and yearning for in person connection, I feel somewhat excited. This placement is the last credit required before I can hit the ground running in a post-grad world. This summer I’m completing my field placement alongside Dr. Shauna MacKinnon in the Department of Urban and Inner City Studies at the University of Winnipeg on a project called Indigenous Resistance and Institutional Development in Winnipeg: 1950-2019. As part of my placement duties I am thematically cataloguing a series of interviews with key change makers, leaders and Indigenous rights activists who were instrumental in the development of urban Indigenous institutions beginning around the 1960s and carrying on until the late 90s. These interviews will be mixed into educational audio episodes with the interviewees recounting their experience and involvement in Indigenous lead movements pertaining to topics like child welfare, housing, and education and the Friendship Centres movement.

Re-learning how to sew

Due to the pandemic I am completing this work online. While restrictions have slowly eased up, I still find it a challenge to work remotely and think it’s important to be gentle with ourselves as we continue to navigate the ever-changing world we live in. To me it’s important to do so that I avoid burnout and continue to do good work for my community. I try to find an appropriate balance of doing my work, spending time with loved ones, being on the land and making time to be creative. In my down time this summer I’ve enjoyed being at my family’s cabin by the water, and spending time with other strong Indigenous women re-learning how to sew. Caring for myself holistically has definitely made it easier to engage in online work through my field placement.

Reinforced

By Christy Bird, 1st year MDP student

Boozhoo! I began my first field placement with the First Nation Health Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM). I was thankful they accepted my application and allowed me to conduct my field placement with their organization. I was mentored respectfully and was able to be complete my placement with knowledgeable team of people that comprise the research unit at FNHSSM. I had the privilege to witness the great work they conduct with and for First Nation people and communities.

My deliverables entailed me to collect data on research projects that have been conducted with and on Manitoba First Nation communities. The objective was to determine research projects with open access and research exclusive to access only through academia and journals. I came to understand the importance of open access to research utilizing data from First Nation communities and peoples. It is imperative to ensure that data and objectives can enhance community standards and build upon more research. I have gained so much more understanding about the importance of data sovereignty and respectful practises and protocols that should be implemented within research projects when working with First Nation peoples. My time at FNHSSM allowed me to critically reflect on the importance of language and narratives when conducting research that is to be respectful and strength based. 

Aside from deliverables, it was great to have the opportunity to also participate in some excellent online training and workshops. The highlight was the annual NIBI Gathering which focused on birthing water and other water teachings. It was enlightening and opportune time to sit and enjoy with my daughters. I was also fortunate to attend OCAP training and other community gatherings occurring in the city of Winnipeg for the missing children found at residential schools. I appreciate the welcome and guidance I have received. Miigwech.

Visioning, Coordinating, and Implementing- Experiences Co-ordinating Virtual Language Revitalization

Taanshi,

The MDP program has provided me exponential growth both personally and professionally. It was so exciting to use my newly developed skills learned during the didactic portion of MDP and be able to implement it while working with my own Nation and community on such a critical initiative like language revitalization.

Working with the Louis Riel Institute (LRI) for my second placement was a very cyclical progression as the summer before I started the MDP program I worked as a Research Assistant with LRI. It was wonderful being able to both open and close my MDP experience working with the LRI an organization that I hold close to my heart.

At first, fulfilling the responsibilities of the project coordinator was daunting on such a critical initiative and I was unsure of my skill set, but once I was immersed in the work, I realized just how complementary my course work and teachings from MDP were in my placement.

For me one of the pieces that have been the challenging has been trying to coordinate during the COVID-19 pandemic but also been the rewarding, to ensure that the community workshops were accommodating to our language champions. I really value the virtual space the working circle was able to create for the community members during our workshops as it facilitated a space for the attendees to learn from, gather to listen and share their experiences pertaining to language.

Furthermore, this placement has provided me the opportunity to strengthen my relationships within community and learn more about the process of language revitalization and power of meaningful collaboration.

I want to also express extreme gratitude to the LRI for trusting and empowering me to take on this important work. As they provided a nurturing environment to learn, listen, and grow and provided me a beautiful segway into life post-MDP. 

Kawapamitiinawaw, 

Ali