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.