Grant: Operating Grant: Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research- Dev Grants

The goal of this project is to build on the foundations created by Dashäw - Our Ancestors - and create a Yukon Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) that is grounded in the relationships, knowledge, and values of all Yukon First Nations (YFNs). The Project Team is led by a core group of seven Indigenous Elders, researchers, knowledge carriers, and community-based, health research experts, as well as three northern and Indigenous partner organisations: Council of Yukon First Nations, the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research, and One Yukon Coalition. We are supported by a broad network of community-based researchers, academic institutions, Indigenous health research and policy experts, territorial senior-level decision-makers, and NEIHR centers. The Yukon is the traditional territory of fourteen First Nations and multiple transboundary Indigenous nations. Although there has been a research landscape in the Yukon for decades, very little research conducted here has been directly related to health research and even less is led by YFNs communities, knowledge carriers, and researchers. While YFNs are increasingly changing this trend, there is no central location for collaboration between YFNs on health research agendas, ethics, or values. These gaps in the Yukon health research landscape have created an important opportunity for the development of a Yukon NEIHR. The project team will be guided by a governance committee that is grounded in YFNs' needs, priorities, and values. They will lead the project team in a series of engagement activities that focus on identifying shared priorities and needs for YFNs health research and training. YFNs youth, Elders, community members; healthcare, wellness, and frontline workers; and YFNs leaders and health policy experts will be engaged in this project. The project team will also cultivate and continue to grow relationships with important research, youth, education, and advocacy organizations.