KAMLOOPS — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in British Columbia, Canada, are seeking applications from Indigenous women around the globe to participate in a unique research and knowledge program.
The program is a special edition of the Knowledge Makers Indigenous research support network established at TRU in Kamloops, BC, that sees Indigenous students from various disciplines learn how to research and publish their work with support from mentors and Elders. Through this program, the FAO and the Knowledge Makers seek to accompany Indigenous women researchers on the path to promote the recognition of Indigenous women’s knowledge, and to amplify the influence of their voice in the decision-making processes that affect them.
The Knowledge Makers Special Edition is now inviting Indigenous women from seven socio-cultural regions (Africa; Asia; the Arctic; Central, South America and the Caribbean; Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia; the Pacific; North America) to apply for this program, that will strengthen research and knowledge opportunities for and by Indigenous women. This will be an opportunity for 20 Indigenous women from around the world to advance their research for Indigenous women, Indigenous peoples’ food and knowledge systems, and climate action, and to be published in the Knowledge Makers Journal.
Through an Indigenous-led program of online workshops and mentoring sessions, the participants will develop research skills and write journal articles. Instructors and mentors will be Indigenous professors, Indigenous researchers, Indigenous Elders, and publication and FAO technical experts.
The research articles will be peer-reviewed and published in a special edition of the Knowledge Makers Journal for dissemination and will advance the global work for Indigenous-led research. This online course and the final publication will be in English.
TRU is a public teaching and research university with one of the largest Indigenous student populations among universities in British Columbia. It is on the traditional lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc with Secwepemcúlucw, the traditional territory of the Secwépemc people. TRU is host to the All My Relations Centre and research network, an Indigenous-led research centre dedicated to advancing Indigenous community wellness by bringing together Indigenous researchers in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Within the All My Relations Research Centre, the Knowledge Makers program is a Canadian award winning Indigenous research network. The program is a collaborative teaching initiative where Indigenous students learn how to research and how to publish research, as Indigenous researchers. The main outcome of the program is the Knowledge Makers Journal, a peer-reviewed Indigenous interdisciplinary journal that is published annually in hard copy and online. Between 2016 and 2019, 88 articles have been published.
Since 2015, the FAO has collaborated with Indigenous peoples and women’s organizations to implement initiatives that contribute to the empowerment of Indigenous women and enhance their engagement in decision-making processes and global debates on food systems, climate change and access to land and natural resources.
In collaboration with Indigenous Women’s organizations, the FAO has implemented 12 editions of the Indigenous Women Leadership Schools on Food Security and Human Rights. The program has provided a knowledge exchange platform for more than 330 Indigenous women. In 2018, in response to Indigenous women’s request, the FAO in collaboration with Indigenous Women’s organizations launched the Global Campaign for the Empowerment of Indigenous Women for Zero Hunger.
One of the main outcomes from the Global Campaign for the Empowerment of Indigenous Women for Zero Hunger was the call for more research for and by Indigenous women, the recognition of Indigenous women as knowledge holders and the need for their knowledge sharing and research to inform decision-making on all levels globally.
Within the framework of the current global debates to advance the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ food and knowledge systems and climate action, FAO and TRU are joining efforts to implement a Knowledge Makers Special Edition: Indigenous women, Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems, and Climate Action.
The application period is open online from Friday, Nov. 25 to Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. The welcoming session of the course will be held during the week of Jan. 9, 2023. The online course runs from January to March, 2023.
The TRU Knowledge Makers with FAO will co-host a closing celebration for the Indigenous women’s research cohort to present and distribute their special edition of the Knowledge Makers Journal in spring 2023.
Learn more and apply here: https://knowledgemakers.trubox.ca/knowledge-makers/knowledge-makers-journal/become-a-knowledge-maker/volume-9-unfao-edition-application-3/
Contact:
Jeneen Herns-Jensen, Assistant Director
All My Relations Research Centre, Thompson Rivers University
250-819-0960 | jhernsjensen@tru.ca
