Integrating Local Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness: Improving Resilience Through Collaboration

The project seeks to create a framework for community engagement that centers around Indigenous knowledges and emergency preparedness. This framework will be based upon a review on the existing research on how local knowledge from Indigenous communities has been integrated with existing emergency preparedness models. Existing emergency preparedness and community resilience protocols were developed primarily for urban municipalities . These protocols are not always well suited to rural contexts, Indigenous communities or Indigenous ways of knowing. By reviewing the existing literature, the intent is to identify where integration of Indigenous local knowledge and emergency preparedness best practices has been effective or faced challenges. Best practices can include anything that has guided positive interaction: cultural understanding, building trust, sharing information, pre-existing social connections, etc. The intent is to develop an overview of this knowledge to develop a framework of best practice for better preparedness in both prevention and action for future emergencies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Henhawk

Student:

Partner:

Calian Ltd

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Manitoba

Program: