Revitalized Approach to Indigenous Community Success in Trent University Research

?The idea is to look at the ways in which Aboriginal people who live in cities are building good lives,? said Professor David Newhouse, professor of Indigenous Studies at Trent University. ?We want to go beyond examination and analysis of problems and focus on the ways in which people are building institutions and communities in response to the issues and dilemmas of urban life.?

Trent University is the recipient of $2.5 million over five years from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council (SSHRC) to explore successful models of Aboriginal people building and living fulfilling lives in urban settings.

Prof. Newhouse, is the lead researcher working with the National Association of Friendship Centres and a number of other university and government partners in the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network, directed by a vision of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in urban communities "living well together."

Although over 50 per cent of those who self-identify as Aboriginal in Canada live in urban centres, the realities of urban Aboriginal peoples remain much less understood by researchers, scholars, government officials, and many service agencies than those of ?on reserve? First Nations peoples and Inuit in the North. With the SSHRC funding, the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network will address this knowledge gap through a national partnership for research, scholarship and knowledge mobilization on matters of importance to urban Aboriginal peoples.

Based on the premise that Aboriginal communities have too long been the subjects of research rather than participants and partners in research and knowledge mobilization, the members of the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (Aboriginal organizations, universities and governments) are working collaboratively on research projects across the country.

The project?s research activities will be focused around four broad themes -- human development (needs and outcomes of individuals and families), social cohesion (community well-being, education, justice), economic development (economic participation, employment, entrepreneurship, income), and civic engagement (or "political ownership").

Trent?s vice president, research & international, Dr. Neil Emery, expressed the significance of the funding announcement. ?SSHRC?s funding recognizes the pivotal difference in this research approach: a focus on success stories in urban Aboriginal communities,? said Prof. Emery. ?This project shines a light on the expertise within Indigenous Studies, one of the signature areas in Trent?s academic plan ? and will advance our knowledge of how flourishing Aboriginal communities in urban settings can be perpetuated.?

The Network consists of four regional research centres, in British Columbia, the Prairies, central Canada, and Atlantic Canada - partnerships have also been made with a Quebec research network, ODENA, and with Regroupement des centres d'amitie autochtones du Quebec, a Provincial/Territorial Association of the National Association of Friendship Centres

To ensure that knowledge gained by the Network is mobilized as effectively as possible in the relevant communities, the Network is committed to making its work widely available through publications, conferences and workshops, reports and presentations to community groups and governments, and the Internet. Through funding provided last year by Indian and Aboriginal Affairs, the Network has already published one book: Well-Being in the Urban Aboriginal community (Newhouse, Fitzmaurice, McGuire-Adams and Jette, Thompson, 2012).

An important part of the Network's strategy is to provide opportunities for emerging scholars, especially Aboriginal scholars, to engage in research and thinking about urban Aboriginal issues. The knowledge created by the Network will be available for use in courses on Aboriginal issues at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and provided to community-based and government partners, thereby helping to improve policy, programs and services for urban Aboriginal peoples.

Today?s announcement took place in Kitchener, Ontario, where Minister of State (Science and Technology) Goodyear shared that more than $70 million is being awarded over a period of seven years to support 92 research teams across the country.

SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its programs and policies, SSHRC enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada, and facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society.

Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2012.

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