AIM-HI Network Events and News

This year-end annual event will be an occasion for formal and supportive research dialogue research amongst research mentees, mentors and invited community. Through a peer-reviewed process, attendees will have opportunity for formal presentation and feedback on all aspects and phases of their research. In addition to formal scientific presentation, the event will foster exploration and collaborations of early research ideas.  Each event will have an annual theme with invited presenters (including a Saskatchewan post-doctoral fellow or new investigator nominated by their network) and opportunity for debate, critical exploration and knowledge development.  The scientific aspect will also include research skills development within supportive and constructive workshops for enhancing presentation and written knowledge dissemination and proposal writing skills. A key aspect of the retreat intends to create a strong sense of community through a focus on building relationships, strengthening FNMI identity, developing resilience and fostering connection with community.  This event will facilitate a deepening of meaningful mentorship and peer relationships that have begun to develop through the network’s formal and informal activities with.  FNMI identity will be celebrated, shared and strengthened through access to traditional knowledge, land based experiences and ceremony. Celebrations will be a central aspect, formally acknowledging new students, accomplishments and mentee transitions. Resilience will be built through thematic sharing circles and formal capacity building workshops (based in FNMI perspectives) that explores key attributes including effective communications, coping strategies for stress, developing a voice against racism and addressing structural violence. These learning opportunities will provide space for strong bonds to develop within a cohort through sharing and in-depth conversations in a safe, welcoming environment. Sharing circles will focus on safety and relevance using rigorous cultural protocols and ensuring a welcoming environment. Community involvement will be an important aspect of this event.  Key stakeholders including traditional knowledge keepers, community leadership and health research institutional leads will be invited with the intent of facilitating relationships that will be critical to the future success of the mentees. It is expected these connections will promote student retention, and that these cohorts will create a professional network for mentees after they graduate.

Showcases will be informal community focused events that will be held each year in rotation at Calgary, Lethbridge and Edmonton. At this event, mentees will present and have dialogue regarding their research ideas and progress to mentors, supportive Indigenous health researchers, Indigenous community and health service organization leads. Mentees will receive feedback, engage in exploration of research initiatives and create new collaborations for future research and potential employment. With community involvement, FNMI perspective and community relevance will be prioritized. From this event, it is expected that mentees will enhance their presentation skills, develop confidence in contributing to broad dialogues and gain understanding of key community contexts that will inform their research.