Surrey Skookum Lab: An Indigenous Driven Social Innovation Project

Skookum is a word used in many cultures. In British Columbia, some Indigenous communities understand “Skookum” to mean strong or brave. The Skookum Lab was created to honour the strength and wisdom of Indigenous communities and to make innovative changes within the city of Surrey. We are inviting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Surrey to embark on a journey of understanding: what are the systemic causes of urban Indigenous child poverty in Surrey? The Skookum Lab will create spaces with, and for, the Indigenous community. These spaces will be places of creative dialogue and action in order to address the systemic causes of Indigenous child and youth poverty. From there, the Indigenous community will design and then test initiatives to make their dreams become a Skookum reality.

Faculty Supervisor:

Meg Holden

Student:

Partner:

The Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: