Reflections on youth and community research

 By Sage Broomfield, 1st year MDP student

My name is Sage Broomfield, I am neyihaw from Treaty 8, English and Irish. My work in the MDP has focused on critical and community focused energy and environmental development. This summer I worked with CASES in partnership with The Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC), in Inuvik, N.T in Treaty 11 Territory. My job was to support the implementation of a community and youth-based research model in the Gwich’in communities of Aklavik, Inuvik, Tsiigehtchic, and Teetl’it Zheh (Fort McPherson). 

The solar array of the Children First Society, childcare facility

Since my last blog post two youth have been hired two youth and I continue to support their interview and training processes from back in Winnipeg. And I have had a chance to reflect on my experience and the lessons I learned. Some challenges that I want to explore in the future are running youth programming for a short period of time during summer months and garnering youth interested in close but separate communities. I will do this through my continued work and research this year.

Even being in the community for a short period of time, two months, I was hearing what was interesting, important, or being built-upon in terms of energy security and sovereignty in the region. A personal highlight of my experience was chatting with the community members and youth who were interested in their energy futures.

During my field placement, I learned that good community research takes time, adaptability, and good relationships. I learned a lot about and able to reflect now on how to make this model or others like it more successful in future – which I look forward to doing.

Being in Inuvik put into practice my classroom learning and carrying out this project was and will continue to be an impactful experience. The months I was there were filled with daily lessons, new experiences, and good conversations. I am grateful to the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the CASES project for this opportunity and to the people of Treaty 11 who I had the pleasure of connecting with. 

A 10:30pm late summer sunset driving back from Tuktoyaktuk after falling asleep to full sunlight for the length of my stay - hiy hiy to the land of the midnight sun for this experience!

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!