As most of you know, a few months ago I defended my masters’ thesis. I’ve been meaning for some time to send out an email sharing the file & the link with people whom I respect and appreciate, and who in some way or another contributed to this thesis.
So – drumroll, please – here it is! http://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/45948. The strange thing about a thesis is that what is really an ongoing process of thinking, rethinking, and learning ends up getting pinned to a page and frozen in time. What’s in this thesis is just one rendition of my learning process.
I hope you enjoy the thesis. Below is the official abstract, and the Unofficial Readers’ Guide. Or, if you really want simplicity, ask for the by-request-only 10-page version.
Community-university engagement : case study of a partnership on Coast Salish territory in British Columbia
Abstract
In the context of expanding community engagement efforts by universities and growing awareness of the past and current impacts of settler-colonialism in Canada, this study explores one Indigenous-settler, community-university partnership. Building on a framework of community-university engagement and decolonization, or decolonizing community-university engagement, this case study explores a partnership between Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society (Xyolhemeylh) and the Division of Health Care Communication at the University of British Columbia (UBC-DHCC). The ‘Community as Teacher’ program, which began in 2006 and is ongoing as of 2013, engages groups of UBC health professional students in 3-day cultural summer camps. The camps, designed to further connect Indigenous youth and families with their culture, were initiated by Stó:lō elders over 20 years ago. Xyolhemeylh staff coordinate the cultural camp program in collaboration with Stó:lō community groups. UBC-DHCC recruits UBC health professional students to participate in camps as part of the ‘Community as Teacher’ program.
This qualitative case study draws primarily on analysis of program documents and interviews with four Xyolhemeylh and three UBC-DHCC participants. The findings of this study are framed within ‘Four Rs’, building upon existing frameworks of Indigenous community-university engagement (Butin, 2010; Kirkness & Barnhardt, 1991). Building on a foundation of relevance to the mission of both partners, both partners undertook risk-taking, based on their respective contexts, in establishing and continuing to invest in the relationship. Respect, as expressed by working ‘in a good way’, formed the basis for interpersonal relationship-building. This study provides a potential framework for practitioners and has implications for the Community as Teacher partnership, funding structures, and Indigenous-university partnerships.
Unofficial Readers’ Guide to Mali’s Thesis
First of all, reading this thesis is not a requirement. If you’ve got lots on the go and won’t get to reading this anytime soon, don’t feel guilty – I can give you the ‘elevator pitch’ version in 3 minutes or less and you’ll be fine.
If you’re looking for ways that this work might affect the practice of community-university partnership, I hope that Chapters 4&5 might be of interest, some of the participant quotes are amazing but if there’s lots on your plate and you’re in a rush, check out Chapter 7. (and if things are really, really busy ask me for the 10-page version).
If your question is “so what did you find out”, and by that you mean what I learned about the case study, start with Chapter 1 to get a sense of how I’m framing this, then look through the headings, quotes, and colourful participant drawings in Chapters 4 and 5. The conclusion says a few interesting things as well.
If you’re looking for the juicy personal or self-reflexive bits, start with Chapter 1 – it includes some reflexive family history – and then read some of the stories shared in Chapter 2. You might want to then move to Chapter 7 to see what I found out from all this work, anyways.
If you’re looking for ideas for your own research, the stories and visual-coding process in Chapter 3 is an honest reflection of what I did and why. Chapter 2 might be useful if your research explores either community engagement or decolonization – I share some of my favourite authors and would be interested to connect with yours.
Finally, If you’ve gotten this far, I’m impressed by your persistence and anticipate you may not have needed the readers’ guide at all – enjoy your weekend, enjoy this and other reading, and be in touch. – MB