Author Archives: Jessica Presta

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 5

Seeing as there is a palpable awareness of a need to decolonize nursing education, I decided to research into what steps are being taken to achieve this. I stumbled across a framework created by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) and the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association (CINA) whose goal is to support decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation in nursing education. Their framework includes foundational strategies, recruitment and retention strategies, and curricular strategies for nursing education to advance the above goals and respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action. Here is an excerpt of the calls of action from the TRC as they related to nursing education:

Their framework is quite extensive and is a great starting place for decolonizing nursing education. They state implementation of this framework and their strategic plan to occur from 2019-2023, I will be curious to know what has been accomplished to date. I will focus some of my research time to answering this in the coming days.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 4

My research into why Indigenous people are under-represented in healthcare as professionals has taken me down a path of understanding the institutionalized racism that exists in our healthcare system in BC. It comes as no surprise that our colonial history has led to powerful systemic structures that perpetuate racism towards the Indigenous people of our province. Understanding this history was the first step to uncovering some of the barriers which discourage Indigenous people from seeking out healthcare education. Then I looked at the education system, specifically nursing education, to get a sense of how these systems are also deeply colonial and what work is being done to decolonize these spaces. I came across this webinar hosted by The Center for Nursing Philosophy on the topic of decolonizing nursing. They had an expert panel of speakers representing research on decolonization in nursing from around the globe.

The first speaker is Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, associate professor and Inaugural BC Research Chair in Indigenous Health in Nursing at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, who introduced the concepts of decolonization and truth and reconciliation. She begins at 6:49 min and speaks for approximately 15 minutes. A notable takeaway for me was learning about Indigenous nurse pioneers such as Mary Seacole, Edith Monture, and Mary Mahoney who had a great impact on the profession and who are left out of nursing academia. Rather, we are taught about Florence Nightingale, a Caucasian woman of English decent who is coined the founder of modern nursing. These expert panelists call for the decolonization of nursing academia to enhance the success of BIPOC students.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 3

Another resource I wanted to call out for educators looking to decolonize their curriculum is the ‘First peoples principles of learning‘. This poster was created by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and as a classroom resource aimed at highlighting the main principles of First Peoples learning practices. The role and responsibilities of the FNESC is to support First Nations students and advance First Nations education in BC. Their website has a plethora of resources aimed at supporting this goal.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 2

During my research for my final project, I came across this website that offers a few resources related to equity, diversity and inclusion in health. This website is robust in its resources, including but not limited to: journal articles, open access databases, report from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, a collection of Indigenous health related digital artifacts, links to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and links to the UN declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 1

As per Professor Hardman’s suggestion, I read through the In Plain Sight report as a starting place from which to launch my research from for the final project. This report was very challenging to read at times and caused me to feel a sorrow and heartache I was not expecting. The stories told by survey participants were wrought with racism and prejudice. Indigenous specific racism in healthcare across BC is indisputable. The IPS report summarized their findings into 11 categories:

  1. Widespread Indigenous-specific stereotyping, racism and discrimination exist in the B.C. health care system.
  2. Racism limits access to medical treatment and negatively affects the health and wellness of Indigenous peoples in B.C.
  3. Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately impacted by Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system.
  4. Current public health emergencies magnify racism and vulnerabilities, and disproportionately impact Indigenous peoples.
  5. Indigenous health care workers face racism and discrimination in their work environments.
  6. Current education and training programs are inadequate to address Indigenous-specific racism in health care.
  7. Complaints processes in the health care system do not work well for Indigenous peoples.
  8. Indigenous health practices and knowledge are not integrated into the health care system in a meaningful and consistent way.
  9. There is insufficient hard-wiring of Indigenous cultural safety throughout the B.C. health care system.
  10. Indigenous roles in health leadership and decision making – both through Indigenous health governance structures and the health care system as a whole – need to be strengthened.
  11. There is no accountability for eliminating all forms of Indigenous-specific racism in the B.C. health care system, including complaints, system-wide data, quality improvement and assurance, and monitoring of progress.

 

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 5

For my final post in Module 1, I wanted to discuss the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). The FNHA emerged as a health governance structure in BC in an attempt to improve First Nation’s health outcomes and close the gaps that exist between BC First Nations and the rest of the population. The FNHA is a first in Canada and is a province wide health authority that “plans, designs, manages and funds the delivery of First Nations health programs and services in BC” (First Nations Health Authority, 2022). One of the resources on their website I am most interested in is their Cultural Safety and Humility Framework. This infographic is highly detailed and outlines the many steps required for a transformative healthcare system that is culturally safe for Indigenous people.

 

References

First Nations Health Authority (2022, October, 10). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations_Health_Authority

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 4

For this post I wanted to share a resource for educators to support the indigenization of their programs, classrooms, and pedagogical practices. BC Campus is an online resource that aims to support the evolution of education across the province through collaboration, communication and innovation. One of their resources for this is their Indigenization project. The goal of this project is to offer open resources to educators to support the incorporation of Indigenous epistemologies into their practice, systematically decolonizing post-secondary education. Some of these resources include:

Learn about Indigenous histories in Canada:
Learn about decolonizing your course materials and teaching practices:

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 3

I wanted to draw attention to the First Nations in BC Knowledge Network’s website. This network was put together with the goal of facilitating networking and knowledge sharing among First Nations communities, individuals, and organizations within the province. A platform like this has the power to bring ideas and resources together to support the rebuilding and growing of Nations. Within the site there is a robust directory of BC First Nations services, Indian Bands as well as resources available to the Indigenous people of BC.

References

First Nations Technology Council (n.d.) First nations in bc knowledge network: A space to exchange information between first nations communities. https://firstnationsbc.ca/about-us

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 2

For my second blog post, I wanted to share some of the small ways I try and incorporate Indigenous voices and representation in my daily life. Through the use of digital technologies and the advent of social media, I am able to expose and connect myself to Indigenous content creators, and they, are able to create content and share to a worldwide audience.

One content creator I love and follow is Cree, James Jones, and goes by the name Notorious Cree. He shares his journey of reconnecting with his own culture through traditional dance and uses his platform to encourage others to do the same and to find pride in who they are. James Jones has found a way to connect with his audience through orality, using videos which are educational, and include teachings about his dance and his culture. To view his works, click here.

Another content creator who I enjoy following to learn about their culture is Shina Novalinga. She is Inuk and is known for her TikTok videos where she throat sings with her mom as well as her activism. Her content ranges from educational material about Inuit culture to some of the challenges people in her community and other northern Indigenous communities face. To view her works, click here.

I genuinely feel that social media is in the hands of the creator, giving them a platform from which they can tell their stories without the (colonial) influence of others. Both of these content creators have over 3.5 million followers, thus their reach is far. They control their stories and how they want to share their culture with the world, empowering themselves, breaking stereotypes and showcasing the diversity among Indigenous people across North America.

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 1

For my first blog post in Module 1, I decided to share a resource that has been impactful on my journey towards truth and reconciliation and decolonization. This is Len Pierre. He is the founder of Len Pierre Consulting and with his team, offers consulting, education and training, and guest speaker services. I have had the privilege of attending two of his seminars now, once as a nurse (with approximately 300 attendees) and once as a faculty member at British Columbia Institute of Technology. If anyone is looking to host a guest speaker for their organization to address anti-racism, Indigenous cultural safety, reconciliation and decolonization, I highly recommend reaching out to Len and his team. His ability to share knowledge related to these topics in a vulnerable  and transparent way is remarkable. You can visit his website here.

After attending my first seminar with Len, I followed him on LinkedIn and visited his website to discover what other resources are available to me. He has a few videos on his website from other events he spoke at, such as TEDxSFU which I recommend watching. In one of the seminars I attended, he spoke about the intentionality of the Canadian government in othering Indigenous tribes across Canada, the intentionality behind making them appear as savages who are not willing to become ‘civilized’ by adopting a colonial culture and some of the harmful stereotypes that developed as a result of this. As he discussed this and other tactics intended to oppress Indigenous people, I reflected on growing up in small communities of BC and how these stereotypes were perpetuated by the adults around me. This was evident in the way they were openly racist towards Indigenous people, repeating the same rhetoric used to oppress them, and I realized how this impacted my beliefs and how it gave me a deeper understanding of where these learned biases came from. I will never forget this moment and the impact it had on me and my ability to decolonize further.