[Air-L] Panel: Indigenous Research and Epistemology - a discussion

[Gerald Voorhees]

Dear Colleagues,

Please join the Games Institute <https://uwaterloo.ca/games-institute/> at
the University of Waterloo for a discussion panel on Indigenous Research
and Epistemology on Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10:30AM-12PM (EDT/UTC-4).


This is a free online event! *Registration is required.
<https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigenous-research-and-epistemology-a-discussion-tickets-631810611547>*

How should we conduct research in cooperation and partnership with
Indigenous communities? What does it mean for Indigenous scholars and
students to do research within the colonial structures and settler
epistemologies of Western universities? The panelists, consisting of
Indigenous students and researchers as well as settlers working with and
for Indigenous communities, will share their perspectives and experiences
on these questions. They will begin a conversation to help us consider
these and other issues related to Indigeneity in the context of Western
academic cultures and practices, and invite questions and discussion to
develop our capacity to Indigenize research and scholarship.
About the Speakers:

Jaydum Hunt is Mohawk on her father's side and mixed European on her
mother’s side. She is currently the Director of Indigenous Initiatives at
Laurier University. Jaydum has 8 years experience of progressive leadership
and community engagement with the Indigenous community within the Waterloo
Region and at the University of Waterloo. Has a passion for organizational
change, wholistic evaluations, community based research, Indigenous
leadership, Indigenous entrepreneurship, strategic planning, Indigenous
initiatives, and Indigenous research.

Kelly Laurila is an Indigenous Sámi and Irish woman with close to 30 years
of Anishinaabe knowledges and experiences; songcarrier of an Indigenous
women and girls’ drum circle in community and in a federal penitentiary;
social worker, and educator. She is also an advocate for ideological and
social policy change pertaining to systemic social and justice practices
impacting Indigenous peoples. Dialogue, decolonization, and movement
towards action is at the forefront of her work with reconciliation
initiatives.

Hector Perez is a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Health at the
University of Waterloo. He works under the supervision of Lili Liu and
Antonio Miguel-Cruz. Supported by the Games Institute, Hector is
co-developing gamified training materials for Indigenous First Responders
in collaboration with two First Nations Communities. Hector’s current
research explores data from police and search and rescue organizations
across Canada to determine risk factors associated with missing incidents
involving persons living with dementia. His research employs Machine
Learning and Artificial Intelligence to determine models to predict risk
and inform prevention. Hector’s interests include exploring the acceptance
and adoption of innovations and digital health technologies for older
adults and caregivers.

Marisa Benjamin is a JD student at the University of Toronto Faculty of
Law, Class of 2024. She is a Senior Associate Editor for the Indigenous Law
Journal and a Research Assistant with the David Asper Centre for
Constitutional Rights. From the University of Waterloo, Marisa obtained her
BA in Psychology and Business, and her MA in Rhetoric and Communication
Design. Last year, Marisa worked in the Ministry of Northern Development
and Mines at the Ministry of the Attorney General, preparing legal research
about the government's obligations to consult and accommodate Indigenous
land interests in Northern Ontario. Starting in May, Marisa will be working
at Torys LLP in Toronto. (Optional to read: Of course, and most
importantly, Marisa is the former Research Communications Officer at the
Games Institute, and is happy to be back for this event!)