The Winnipeg Boldness Project

 By Katherine Rempel, 1st year MDP student

Through a Mitacs fellowship and the support of Social Innovations Canada, I am completing an Accountability Framework Report during my placement at Boldness. Over the past month I have focused my time on the following activities:

1.            The Burns Leadership Institute Canada President’s Student Leadership Program (PSLP) at the
University of Manitoba selected 20 students from postgraduate study across Manitoba from 15 different disciplines to be in the 4th cohort of student leaders.  I applied through my placement to grow my leadership skills, experience learning from multiple perspectives, and applying my learning to positive change in my career.  This opportunity also provided an unique chance to learn from the Winnipeg Boldness Projects executive director Diane Roussin who was the opening presenter.

2.            Conducted an environmental scan of the governance structures of local Indigenous organizations.  The research produced an excel document for the organization of 30 local Indigenous organizations with recorded details around how the organization governance was structured, the values and missions of the organizations, and how they were funded.

3.            An environmental scan of articles focused on Indigenous governance in an organizational setting, Indigenous governance values, the historical Indigenous governance, Indigenous methods, and accountability and collaboration was completed finding 30 articles to use as references for the Accountability Framework Report.

4.            Creating and conducting a personal interview opportunity to explore the creation story and background behind the Winnipeg Boldness Projects formation with Diane Roussin.  This offered valuable insight into the generational governance and relationships of community organizations in the North End of Winnipeg.

5.            As part of the Mitacs fellowship I attended multiple Social Innovation Canada Plenary sessions to engage and interact with other fellowship recipients.  This has provided a platform for support and to share the work being conducted by the students with one another.

A Reconciliation Plan for The WestEnd Commons

 By Molly Damiani

Hello! My name is Molly and I am finishing up my first year in the MDP program. This summer I am completing my domestic field placement through the University of Winnipeg’s Inner City work-study program. This program involves 450 placement hours in addition to a 6-credit course examining Winnipeg’s inner-city challenges and community-based initiatives.

My placement organization is the WestEnd Commons. The WestEnd Commons is a project of St. Matthews Non-Profit Housing Inc. addressing the need for safe and supportive housing in the neighbourhood of West Central Winnipeg. The WestEnd Commons is located in the St. Matthew's Anglican Church which has been renovated to feature 26 units for tenants and a neighbourhood resource centre on the lower floors. 

My work with the WestEnd Commons is centred on creating a reconciliation plan, and developing a strategy towards reconciliation in the workplace and the building as whole. This work speaks to the organization’s commitment to the cultural safety of tenants and staff. They are working towards creating an inclusive and supportive space for their tenants to build community, raise their families, and lead fulfilling lives.

This project involves research, community engagement, the development of educational materials, and the creation of a final report summarizing findings and the developed strategies. It has been interesting getting to know the WestEnd Commons and exploring reconciliation in the relation to their unique history, residents, and connections with the community. This project offers an fascinating opportunity to contribute to the future of this space, and the lives of the residents. I am excited to continue this work, and I am especially looking forward to hearing from the different groups who collectively make up the WestEnd Commons.

Connect with Community Through Food

By Jessica Boucher-Cowie 

Hello! My name is Jessica and I am a first-year MDP student! For my Canadian field placement, I am working with NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre located here in Winnipeg. At NorWest Food Centre, many programs are based on offering accessible, low-cost, healthy foods to individuals and families.

NorWest has a variety of programs that assist in mitigating the impacts of food insecurity, through culturally relevant meals, food basket deliveries, and weekly fresh produce markets. NorWest has played a significant role in supporting community health and recently launched a community farm project, which will not only provide locally grown produce but also create a safe, green space for the community to gather.

My role over the summer is primarily focused on assisting in program delivery and the beginning stages of the community farm project. The community farm will offer workshops and activities related to traditional foods, planting, and preserving practices, which I will assist in coordinating. I have gained some insight into the daily operations of NorWest, and through engaging with their staff and volunteers, it is clear how much good can be achieved when people come together to reach a shared goal.

NorWest distributes hundreds of meals to people each week and has an ‘assembly line’ of volunteers to prepare and package meals. I participated in preparing/distributing the meal for their quarterly feast, which provided meals to more than 400 community members on a ‘take-out’ basis.

Regarding the community farm, we started by removing sod and evening the soil so that vegetables can be planted. We made three plots in total, two of which will be used for vegetables requested by the community, and seeds that were donated to NorWest. The third plot is designed in the shape of a spiral and traditional crops will be planted there with the guidance of an Elder.

 We have officially begun planting and are excited for what the upcoming summer months bring us, to watch the crops grow, and further connect with the community!

 

Métis in the Federal Government

By Janelle Poiron, 2nd year MDP student

Tansi! My name is Janelle and I’m Métis from the Red River here in Winnipeg Manitoba!

I’m a second year student undergoing my last field placement before I graduate in the fall! This year I’m with Government of Canada in the Public Health Agency of Canada in Equity Analysis and Policy Research team.  

Though I’m located in Winnipeg Manitoba our headquarters are in Ottawa Ontario with colleagues all across the country! I have two main projects throughout my summer term:

1.      Looking at Métis health indicators and their inequities 

2.      Performing a literature review on Indigenous Peoples off-reserve health priorities and needs

I’m really happy to be working in health as that’s always been one of my goals. My projects this term have also coincidentally lined up with many of my interests. Being Métis myself, I’ve always been fascinated by the health inequities plaguing our communities so having an opportunity to work towards health equity is important to me. The literature review which looks at off-reserve Indigenous populations is equally important so that we can get a sense of gaps in our off-reserve relations.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed the work and my team! While it can be a struggle to connect with new colleagues virtually we recently started having a virtual social event so that we can get to know each other. I feel like this really added value to my placement as it focuses on connection and relationships.

I’m looking forward to finishing my last two months then who knows what the future holds!

Meegwetch!