Grant: Planning Grants

The meeting will support the establishment of a community-university research partnership in Aboriginal health. The partners believe a community-based, multi-sector approach is required to carry out research in this area. Interest in studying suicide has been expressed by multiple Aboriginal communities and the regional health authority in Labrador.1 The partners and communities are seeking to increase local knowledge about suicide through research in an effort to effectively respond to this persistent community health crisis. This meeting will bring together representatives from the communities, the Health Authority, the University, and other stakeholder groups (Nunatsiavut Government and Innu Nation, for instance). Approximately 10-12 participants will be brought to Goose Bay from the coastal Innu and Inuit communities (representative of both elders and youth), as well as participants from Central Labrador Aboriginal communities (Goose Bay, Sheshashiu, North West River). Invitations will also be extended to provincial government departments in the region as well as the Aboriginal governments. Nunatsiavut-MUN Bachelor of Social Work students will also be invited to participate. Their inclusion will result in long-term capacity that will return to the communities once their BSW program has been completed. Certainly, this will serve as a training module for these students and will no doubt compliment their formal studies. One goal of this meeting is to discuss the current state of knowledge surrounding suicide in Labrador's Aboriginal communities. With input from both community members and practitioners, the outcome will be possible avenues for future investigation.