Atlantic Indigenous Mentorship Network

The goal of the AIM Network is to expand and augment research capacity, skills, and career trajectories of Indigenous early career researchers and trainees at all post-secondary levels (undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral) in Indigenous health research within Atlantic Canada. Our Network, at its core, will be guided by spirit, ceremony, and storytelling. Working with our Network of colleagues and community partners, and grounded in the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, we will achieve the following objectives: 1. Support the training and development of the next generation of Indigenous health researchers throughout their respective stages of training and early careers; 2. Leverage the mentoring capacities of our existing network of 60+ researchers and Indigenous community health partners from across the Atlantic region and beyond as well as their expertise in Indigenous health research; 3. Deepen the transformative impact of the AIM Network by embedding each of our activities within a Two-Eyed Seeing framework that recognizes the importance of geographically defined, community- and culture-specific knowledge that promotes and centres Indigenous languages and ways of knowing, being and doing; and, 4. Facilitate the implementation of Indigenous knowledge(s) and support for Indigenous health research within institutions of higher learning in Atlantic Canada, thus creating a supportive environment that welcomes, encourages and builds the capacity of Indigenous students and early career researchers. We are proposing to undertake five main activities that include a research collaborative, a health research portal, co-learning initiatives (including summer institutes and field schools), a student grants program, and a needs assessment.