Learning Our Way

This project builds on long term relationships between North Island College (NIC) Nursing program and First Nation’s (FN) communities on Northern Vancouver Island to leverage innovative systems change with the goal of addressing systemic racism and promoting health equity for Indigenous people and communities on northern Vancouver Island.

Project Dates: June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2025

Funding Amount: $359,044

Number of Student Researchers: 4

Project Summary

This project builds on long term relationships between North Island College (NIC) Nursing program and First Nation Communities on Northern Vancouver Island to leverage innovative systems change with the goal of addressing systemic racism and promoting health equity for Indigenous people and communities on northern Vancouver Island.

This project will design, implement and evaluate transformative reconciliation initiatives in partnership with Indigenous communities, health authorities, post-secondary education institutions and North Island College.

We will contribute to transformative reconciliation in health education and health services through offering a series of locally specific, Indigenous led, relationally oriented, wellness focused learning circles. Participants in the learning circles will engage with community members and Indigenous knowledge holders. They will learn from the land, from sharing stories and from being in ceremony together.

It is anticipated that students, faculty and health professionals who participate in the learning circles will create communities of practice with the capacity for driving systems change in health service and educational settings. We intend to investigate the impacts of this program on health services and education through participatory action research led by Indigenous knowledge holders using Indigenous research methodologies.