CHECK OUT OUR MOST RECENT NEWS!
NEW DVD Release!
INTRODUCING...
Remembering Our Past Nourishing Our Future
A Kluane First Nation Project
in Collaboration with
the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research
In partnership with Kluane First Nation (KFN) we are pleased to announce the recent release of KFN's Remembering Our Past Nourishing Our Future DVD which was produced in collaboration with AICBR as part the Nourishing Our Future project. We have been working with KFN over the past three years and this documentary is the culmination of a tremendous amount of great work that the community has done to reclaim their culture, traditions, food security, and future wellbeing. The documentary weaves a story of climate change, food security, shifting landscapes and how the small community of Burwash Landing in Kluane First Nation's majestic traditional territory has used their self-determination to honour their past, harness their resilience and traditional knowledge, skills and culture in order to nourish their future.
This film and all the contents of the Nourishing Our Future project are owned by Kluane First Nation; AICBR has been given the rights to disseminate and share the deliverables, as per the agreed terms of the copyright agreement.
The reports from Phase I and II of the Nourishing Our Future project are available on our website (projects page.) You can WATCH the film below!
Ä si Keyi, means "Our Grandfather's land." This dramatic sub-arctic land is changing. The film tells a story about how climate change and the history of food insecurity have affected Kluane First Nations people and the land they call home. It portrays strategic adaptation by embracing their past as the foundation towards prioritizing their culture and traditional values, practices and knowledge. Ultimately, it is a story of resilience of a peoples in the wake of a changing world.
NEW PUBLICATION!
Knowledge and Engagement: Building Capacity for the Next Generation of Community Based Researchers
Chapter 4: Case Studies on Training, Teaching and Learning Community Based Research
Case Study 1: Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research (pp. 62 - 71)
By: Jody Butler Walker, Norma Kassi, Marilyn Van Bibber & Katelyn Friendship
We are pleased to announce our most recent publication in the new book Knowledge and Engagement: Building Capacity for the Next Generation of Community Based Researchers (Chapter 4). Authored by Jody, Norma, Marilyn and Katelyn, the UNESCO publication takes the reader through some of AICBR's early work and the development of processes and principles that continue to guide our organization's work. The case study focuses on AICBR's community-developed principles for research, training and capacity-building activities, ethics for research in the North, and knowledge mobilization. Free, public access to the book can be found on our reports page (see pp 62 - 71).
CHECK IT OUT!
Introducing Our Healthy Living Inventory Maps
FILL OUT THE SURVEY!
A Public Health Agency of Canada Funded Project:
Working Together to Achieve Healthier Lifestyles in Yukon and Northwest Territories' Communities
Together with our partners through the Working Together to Achieve Healthier Lifestyles in Yukon and Northwest Territories’ Communities project, we have compiled information on Healthy Eating and Active Living programs in communities in both territories (information is from 2014 and is currently being updated to 2016 - see below). These maps will help program coordinators, recreation leaders, funders, and others, to access information about the healthy initiatives going on in their community. The purpose of this tool is to facilitate collaboration between organizations and others in order to work together to support healthier lifestyles across the North.
CHECK IT OUT:
Interested in learning about healthy eating or active living programs near you? - click here!
FILL OUT OUR ONLINE SURVEY:
If you have information, photos or other updates from a Healthy Eating or Active Living program in your community, please fill out our short, online survey!
EARLIER THIS YEAR...
Delegates from Across the Territory Come Together to Discuss Food Security
Three Events | Two Days | May 18-19th, 2016
Yukon Food Security Roundtable | An Evening on Food Security | Open House
Working Together towards Food Security for All Yukon Residents
May 18th-19th, 2016, the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research (AICBR) brought together representatives from government (Yukon First Nations, municipal, territorial and federal), non-government organizations, private sector, academia and Indigenous and non-Indigenous Northerners to discuss the issue of food security and develop some actionable outcomes and priorities for moving forward together towards a food secure Yukon. Over the two days, almost 100 people from across Yukon and beyond gathered at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre to discuss strengths, challenges and opportunities for food security in the territory.
The development of a "shared food security agenda" in the Yukon will contribute to moving towards more coordinated actions and outcomes now and in the future. The Yukon Food Security Roundtable was the first known of its kind in Yukon, where multiple sectors were able to gather and discuss this important issue that affects us all. The outcomes from these Yukon discussions will inform wider a pan-Northern dialogue on food security planning and hopefully contribute to a more comprehensive Northern picture of food security as part of the emerging National Food Policy that the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-foods has been mandated to develop.
WHY IS FOOD SECURITY IMPORTANT?
"Food insecurity means people do not have access to enough affordable, acceptable, and adequate food to meet their daily needs and preferences." (Food and Agriculture Organization)
Food insecurity is a serious public health problem. When children grow up hungry they are more likely to experience poor health conditions later in life; adults living in food insecure households have higher rates of depression, diabetes and heart disease (PROOF).
IN YUKON 17.1% of people were food insecure and almost 20% of Yukon children were living in food insecure households in 2012 (most recent data) (PROOF).
Check out the full report, photos and summaries of Roundtable outcomes on our website.
ANNOUNCING...
Norma Kassi Receives Food Secure Canada's Cathleen Kneen Award
We are proud to announce our very own Norma Kassi as the recent winner of the 3rd Cathleen Kneen Award! This award recognizes individuals for their leadership, vision, grassroots activism, and dedication to building a more just and ecological food system. Norma and her fellow award recipient, Abra Brynne from rural BC officially accepted their awards on World Food Day, October 16th at the recent Food Secure Canada 9th National Assembly in Toronto.
Read more about the award and Cathleen Kneen here. To watch a video of Norma's full acceptance speech click here.
After receiving news of the award Kassi said,
“I am truly humbled to accept this award on behalf of future generations of all cultures, in honour of Cathleen Kneen. She was courageous and bold. She started the Indigenous Circle at Food Secure Canada and believed strongly in reaching across all cultures without fear; she encouraged us Indigenous peoples that in order to build a strong Indigenous food sovereignty movement we can not work in silos. I believe that communities in the North can speak from themselves, that they have the knowledge; we are at the forefront of climate change and food insecurity, especially in the Arctic regions, and if we work together we can and will make an impact. We have a strong voice and if we raise it in unison on the key issues that affect us, people will listen.”
PROJECTS COMPLETED THIS YEAR...
In collaboration with Kluane First Nation and the University of Waterloo, AICBR recently wrapped up Phase 2 of Nourishing Our Future project. This report and project arose from recommendations from Phase 1 of the project and the resulting KFN Food Security Strategy. This phase of the project entailed testing fish health in Kluane Lake and compiling traditional knowledge from key Kluane First Nations experts in the community of Burwash Landing. You can find the full report as well as other deliverables, including the NEW DVD on our website.
AICBR and Selkirk First Nation recently completed a project called: Keeping Our Traditions. This project was a result of concerns in the community about the declining fish populations and the need to protect traditional Selkirk knowledge, skills, culture in order to promote youth wellness through traditional Fish Camps. What arose was a climate adaptation report specific to keeping Selkirk traditions and a Fish Camp Guidebook for youth. A short documentary was also produced for this project and all project material can be found here.
WANT TO LEARN MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO?
We've had a busy year so far! These are only some of our highlights. At an organizational level, we moved to a co-directorship approach, with Jody Butler Walker and Katelyn Friendship taking the reigns and we welcomed Molly Pratt, our Communications and Research Coordinator to our team. To read in more detail about what we've been up to check out our website and read Highlights Report for 2015-2016. Available here!
In June, we hosted a hole as part of a golf tournament put on by Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon and Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous. The tournament was both a fundraiser to raise funds for Red Cross Alberta fire fighting efforts and an opportunity to raise the profile of some of the amazing non-profits in Yukon. We met lots of great folks, had fun hosting some games as part of the tournament and shared a bit about the work we do!
Congratulations to Katelyn Friendship and other recent graduates who completed their Practical Leadership Learning for Non-Profits course put on by Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon and facilitated by Sue Starr at the Heart of Riverdale.
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We've had a busy year traveling across the country for some amazing conferences. Here is a list of some of the conferences we've presented at:
- [Upcoming] PROOF's Advancing Food Insecurity Research in Canada, Toronto (Nov 17-18, 2016)
- Food Secure Canada's Resetting the Table, 9th National Assembly, Toronto ON (October 13-16, 2016) --> read more about some key takeaways here
- Recreation & Parks Association of the Yukon Annual Gathering, Marsh Lake YT (Oct 4-6, 2016)
- NWT Recreation & Parks Association Annual Conference, Yellowknife NT (Sept 27-29, 2016)
- ArcTrain Canada Annual Meeting, Banff AB (Sep 5-12, 2016)
- Fall Harvest Fair and Health & Wellness Fair, NDilo, NT (Aug 26-27, 2016)
- Indigenous Health Conference, University of Toronto, Mississauga ON (May 26-27 2016)
- Association of Northwest Territories Communities Annual General Meeting, Health & Wellness Fair, Yellowknife NT (May 6-8, 2016)
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Disclaimer: All community project data, content, photos, and deliverables are owned by the community. In all of our work with Indigenous partners, we recognize the principles of OCAP in our processes and have signed agreements with each individual project partner as well as undergo an informed consent process prior to disseminating any of the results.