First Nations community and service providers are invited to take part in phase two of a joint project to develop a community indicators system for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations community. (PDF - 174 kb)
A "feast & forum" will be held on April 30, 2008. The purpose of this forum is to work with the First Nations community in Winnipeg to identify what issues impact their well-being and what are the priorities for the community. For more information about the meeting please download a copy of the flyer (PDF - 174 kb).
IISD's Christa Rust offers an interesting and informative description of the project in an interview with CJOB Radio's Geoff Currier. (MP3 - 2.1 mb)
Learn more about the about the project by listening to the CJOB interview with Christa Rust that aired April 7, 2008 on the Nighthawk. (The CJOB interview is protected by copyright and made available to IISD's website with the permission of Corus Radio. Copyright © 2006-2008 CJOB. All Rights Reserved)
IISD is working with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC), the main association of Manitoba First Nations, to establish an indicator system for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations community. The initiative involves working collaboratively with the AMC and community members to build lasting capacity at the local level to set up, maintain and use indicators to improve decision-making. The ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on human well-being, economic development and environmental sustainability.
Sustainability indicators are being proposed to help understand the current state of the urban First Nations community, what course the community is on, and how far the community is from where they want to be. In essence, the sustainability indicators are expected to help the AMC move closer to the following objectives:
build an improved understanding of the challenges facing Winnipeg's First Nations communities for both the First Nations and non-First Nation public and decision-makers;
help identify critical problems and vulnerabilities and their underlying causes where policy action by First Nations and/or other actors is necessary;
help identify the past successes of Winnipeg's First Nations community and factors that made success possible;
through dialogue and engagement develop a set of goals, specific targets and building on past successes identify options for policies and actions that will help meet those goals;
build capacity at AMC and in the First Nations community of Winnipeg to better diagnose its problems, to realize its successes and to develop confidence in envisioning, planning and implementing collective and individual action in the interest of achieving a positive future.
In order to accomplish these objectives and ensure the project meets the needs of the growing urban community, IISD and the AMC are engaging the urban First Nations community and their service-delivery sector each step of the way. A sequence of meetings will be used to determine and prioritize issues and indicators, to develop goals and objectives and to validate the final indicators.
For more detailed information, please contact Christa Rust, Project Manager, Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community.