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

Our primary objective is to engage and support a rural First Nation community, the Lytton First Nation, to come together (with partner non-profit organizations and researchers) to create a novel Indigenous community-based health and wellness research network. Through this initiative, we will take a strength-based approach focusing on the inherent strengths and aspirations of the community respecting its social structures, culture, and traditions. Our team includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, Indigenous community leaders and Elders, and non-profit organizations dedicated to the health and wellness of Indigenous peoples. We will work together to explore the opportunities to enhance the capacity for carrying out Indigenous led, community-based health and wellness research and related knowledge mobilization activities. Through this development grant, we will carry out a series of events including environmental scans of the literature, meeting with local Indigenous community leaders and regional authorities to assess the priority areas of interest and capacity within the community, building awareness and increase the capacity for advancing Indigenous health and wellness research platforms within Lytton First Nation, and carrying out a series of community-based, Indigenous led, knowledge translation activities. It is envisioned that this development grant will allow for a greater understanding of the needs of the community and lead to a larger scale community-based health research network that builds upon the infrastructure, strengths, and aspirations of Lytton First Nation.