On November 26&27, 2019, IRSI hosted a collaborative workshop at the Musqueam Cultural Centre: Crafting a Framework for Indigenous Research. The gathering was a key step in the ongoing work to co-create a Framework for Indigenous, community-based research at UBC. The Framework will have three core elements: Principles of Engagement for Indigenous research, Ethics considerations and Principles for Indigenous Data governance. Working to co-develop these elements, IRSI has hosted a series of gatherings over the past year, bringing together Indigenous community partners and academics engaged in research collaborations.
Day one of the two-day workshop was dedicated to Indigenous community voices and allowed an opportunity for IRSI to present the findings of the past three years - specifically the co-developed Principles of Engagement and Principles for Indigenous Data Governance. By reserving the day for Indigenous partners only, we created a safe and open space for community members to speak openly and candidly about their experiences, perspectives and concerns.
On day two of the Gathering, community members were joined by faculty, staff and students involved in Indigenous research at UBC and included a keynote address by Indigenous lawyer Merle Alexander, who spoke about Free, Prior, Informed Consent as well as the implications of the new UNDRIP Act for Indigenous peoples in BC. In addition, participants heard from IRSI and the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) about a demonstration project that will bring UBC and a number of community partners together to devise appropriate and respectful ways of managing Indigenous data currently housed at UBC.