Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Indigenous Peoples across Canada are experiencing inequitable access to harm reduction services, especially in rural and remote communities, which is reflected in higher mortality rates and increasing HIV transmission. An increasing body of evidence supports the need for culturally appropriate health and social services, including harm reduction services, but First Nations continue to face barriers in accessing appropriate services within their communities. This project will bring together the seven First Nations communities on Manitoulin Island to increase harm reduction knowledge and community readiness skills to determine research priorities related to culturally appropriate harm reduction. The main goal of this proposed project is to hold a 5-day capacity building and planning meeting on Manitoulin Island. The meeting will bring together including people who use drugs, an Elder, First Nations leadership, and health and social service providers, from the seven First Nations on Manitoulin Island. The project aims to 1) Disseminate knowledge and build skills to build capacity for engaging in harm reduction action research by delivering an introduction to Indigenous harm reduction and the Keeping our Fires Community Readiness Model, 2) Work with participants to establish research priorities for further grant applications, and 3) Solidify engagement with First Nations leadership and enter into reciprocal research agreements based on community priorities on Manitoulin Island.