Indigenous communities continue to be excluded from the mainstream economy due to a lack of successful partnerships with non-Indigenous businesses. In this project, we will conduct ‘partnership benchmarking’ with resource companies and Indigenous communities establishing the organizational competencies and capacities needed to accelerate economic development.

The purpose of this project is to conduct a document review of select philanthropic foundations to investigate the policies and practices used by foundations to address DEI. The intern will also lead knowledge generation and knowledge mobilizations activities in the form of issue briefs and learning sessions to engage foundation staff and board members to their increase awareness and facilitate knowledge exchange and peer learning of DEI policies and practices.

The Canadian North (defined as the three territories and Inuit Nunangat) has a wide variety of on-the-land programming. These programs are important in transferring knowledge from previous generations and inspiring the youth of the future. Various regional organizations have created their own on-the-land programs which are targeted to a variety of groups: youth; men; at-risk-teens, and focus on various topics: governance; Indigenous knowledge, or simply getting out on the land.

The proposed research project is a follow-up to the SSHRC funded Partnership Engage study entitled: “Addressing homelessness in Prince Albert: A multi-disciplinary, intersectoral approach. The purpose of the SSHRC study is to enhance the ability of PA to respond to homelessness by stimulating discussions and mutual collaboration between academic researchers, community leaders, social agencies, front-line workers, and the homeless population.

As Aboriginal people increasingly migrate to urban areas, it has become imperative to promote their socioeconomic engagement in the destinations. While there has been increasing research focuses on Aboriginal peoples’ quality of life (QoL) few studies explicitly measure Aboriginal people’s QoL based on a shared understanding of what QoL really means to Indigenous peoples and the government. Consequently, a meaningful conversation between the parties has not occurred to make a substantial improvement to the current status quo.

The two internships proposed in this application are for research and feasibility project coordinators for the North Coast Innovation Lab (NCIL) in Prince Rupert, BC.
In addition to research and feasibility around potential projects that will a) grow the local economy for fish and marine products, and b) enhance coworking and resource sharing, the internships will also explore, at both systems and ground levels, how social innovation strategies of economic development and community building can be applied in the rural, northern and coastal context.
Ultimately, the NCIL hopes to spark a systemi

Energy poverty is an issue that impacts many First Nations communities in British Columbia. Despite significant appetite from communities to develop clean energy solutions, many do not benefit from the available financing programs. This research seeks to understand what barriers exist for First Nations communities in accessing energy financing, as well as to identify some best practices from other jurisdictions. The project will use this information to propose innovative community energy financing options that could be applied in the B.C. context.

This Internship project will look at issues affecting the overall social conditions of First Nation youth in Northern, rural and remote communities, with a specific focus on the Northern community of Canoe Lake Cree Nation. Historically, the people of Canoe Lake lived a traditional lifestyle off the land, including traditional land that was lost to the Cold Lake bombing range. The loss of traditional land and livelihood has had enormous social effects on the community, and its peoples.