We’ve Launched a New Research Partnership!

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We are very excited to announce that SFNFCI has partnered with our member agency Athabasca Denesuline Child & Family Services (ADCFS) to launch the ATHABASCA COMMUNITY RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP.

The first project that the partnership will be working on is related to the experiences of First Nations children and youth living with disabilities. 

Specifically, the project will concentrate on children and youth in-care and on-reserve in three communities in the North:  Fond du Lac, Black Lake, and Hatchet Lake. 

Researcher Raissa Graumans, a PhD student hired by SFNFCI, will head the project along with community partner Linda Sayazie from ADCFS. 

Advisory Committees will be set up in each of the three communities to help guide the project.  We will be collecting stories and information from a broad range of community members, including:

• Children/Youth with Disabilities
• Elders
• Families & Caregivers
• Child & Family Services Workers
• Educational Staff (teachers, aides, resource persons) 
• Justice Workers
• Health Workers (Athabasca Health Region (AHA) & Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region (MCRHR)
• Social Development Workers

We hope to gain a better understanding of the services available to children, youth, and families affected by disabilities and the processes they go through in accessing services.  We are also interested in learning more about Dene ideas and definitions related to disabilities.  Overall, this project will describe the experiences of children and youth with disabilities on reserve and the impacts that disabilities have on families and their broader communities.

The project plan outlines five trips to Athabasca for community consultation and story collection. The project will conclude in March, 2017.

If you have any questions about the project or would like to be involved in some way please contact us:

Raissa at 306-373-2874 x 223  or raissa@sfnfci.ca

Shelley at 306-2874 x227  or  shelley@sfnfci.ca