ABOUT US
The Urban Indigenous Wellbeing Collective is a group of Indigenous and settler researchers and trainees dedicated to working alongside Indigenous communities in anticolonial, antiracist, and anti-oppressive ways that acknowledge and honor their Traditional Knowledge, Healing Practices and Medicines. Our collective primarily engages with urban Indigenous Peoples and their wellness. The research we do aims to be beneficial to community and generative within and beyond academic spaces.
Our
Vision
The Urban Indigenous Wellbeing Collective is committed to building an innovative research, training, and mentorship community that is centred on the wellbeing of urban Indigenous communities. We aim to foster meaningful collaborations between Elders, community members, Indigenous scholars, researchers, and allies. By bringing these groups together, we hope to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by urban Indigenous populations.
We work collaboratively with Indigenous communities to develop and implement programs that prioritize holistic wellbeing, respect Indigenous Knowledges, and address community-identified priorities. We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive space to develop multidisciplinary, cross-university, and community networks who share a collective commitment for Indigenous health, education, and socio-economic equity.
Our
Purpose
Our
Goal
We aim to: ​
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Facilitate respectful, culturally safe, and community-responsive collaboration and partnerships between researchers and urban Indigenous communities;
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Support and mentor the next generation of researchers, trainees, and community members through co-supervision, practicum, and experiential learning;
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Expand community engagement to include other relevant partners including health providers, non-profit organizations, and urban indigenous organizations;
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Create synergy among various research disciplines, methodologies, and approaches to create strength-based solutions;
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Create opportunities for Two-Eyed Seeing knowledge sharing among and between communities;
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Leverage external funding opportunities to respond to community priorities (i.e., CFI, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)).
