Addressing the TRC to Action in Nursing Education: Workshop Series
The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) and the six Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Nursing Chairs of Indigenous Health Research (the I-Chairs) partnered to deliver a series of workshops to assist nurse educators, schools of nursing, and nurses in other roles in addressing Indigenous-specific racism and developing knowledge in cultural humility and cultural safety in order to build capacity to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action.
The TRC Calls to Action are now included in the CASN Accreditation Standards, which contains the following key element:
The curriculum implements Action 24 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission programs of nursing to integrate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), human rights, the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Indigenous teaching and practice, intercultural competency, and anti-racism.
The delivery of this workshop series was funded by Indigenous Services Canada.
The workshops were co-designed and co-delivered by the I-Chairs, Elders and Knowledge Holders, and several of the current and former Indigenous graduate students in nursing that have worked alongside the I-Chairs. The series was delivered twice between 2023 and 2024. Each series consisted of five workshops delivered once per month. Both series reached capacity.
Below is a digital package of the workshop series including a written summary, links to the English and French recordings, and key resources to assist with addressing the TRC Calls to Action. The recordings should be reviewed in order, as the concepts and content build on one another. The workshops are intended to support individual, personal learning rather than being used as a teaching tool in a classroom or educational setting.
Disclaimer: The workshop series content is the property of the I-Chairs, Elders, Kookums, Knowledge Holders, and their co-presenters. References to the workshops should be cited appropriately. A recommended citation is provided below each link to the recordings.
Workshop 1: Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism
Delivered by: Knowledge Holder Judy Pelly; Holly Graham, PhD, R.D Psychologist, RN; and Amélie Blanchet Garneau, inf., Ph.D.
This webinar provides context for the entire series by underlining that Indigenous-specific racism remains rife in the health care system and in nursing practice. The presenters review how the concept of race was used to create social hierarchies resulting in white supremacy and privilege that can be invisible to white people. The devasting impacts of colonialism (both historical and present-day) on Indigenous health are reviewed. The role of nursing discourse in contributing to upholding a colonial health care system is shared. Disruption of the current discourse is required in order to create an equity-oriented health care system. The presenters share important strategies to assist organizations and institutions to better enhance their capacity for equity-oriented health care.
On-Demand Webinar:
Citation:
Pelly, J., Cote First Nation; Graham, H.; & Blanchet Garneau, A. (2023, September 20). Addressing Indigenous-specific racism [Webinar]. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tkMee5Oohw
Key Resources
EQUIP Health Care. (2021a). Equity walk-through. https://equiphealthcare.ca/resources/equity-walk-through/
EQUIP Health Care. (2021b). Rate your organization: 10 strategies to guide organizations in enhancing capacity for equity-oriented health care. https://equiphealthcare.ca/files/files/2021/05/RYO-Health-Equity-May-4-2021.pdf
Workshop 2: Cultural Humility in the Academy and in Nursing
Delivered by: Cree Kookum Mabel Horton; Mi’kmaw Kookum Miigam’agan; Wanda Phillips-Beck, RN, PhD; Jason Hickey, BSc, MScA, PhD; and, Bekelu Negash, BScN, MSc (c).
Cultural humility is broadly defined as a process of self-reflection to understand personal and systemic biases and a lifelong process that supports the development of relationships built on mutual trust. The webinar begins by allowing participants to learn about Cree and Mi’kmaw perspectives on cultural humility followed by the personal views and experiences of Dr. Phillips-Beck and Dr. Hickey. There are multiple perspectives on cultural humility, and the presenters discuss the intersection of academic and Indigenous perspectives. Critical perspectives on cultural humility are shared and barriers to humility in health care are described. The presenters share their thoughts on how cultural humility translates to nursing practice and nursing education, and they demonstrate its application with a case example.
On-Demand Webinar:
Citation:
Horton, M., Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation; Miigam’agan, Esgenôpetiti/Burnt Church First Nation; Phillips-Beck, W.; Hickey, J.; & Negash, B. (2023, October 25). Cultural humility in the academy and in nursing [Webinar]. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHS4VWIUn08
Key Resource
First Nations Health Authority. (2021). Anti-racism, cultural safety & humility framework. https://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-FNHC-FNHDA-Anti-Racism-Cultural-Safety-and-Humility-Framework.pdf
Workshop 3: Cultural Safety
Delivered by: Elder Ann LaBillois; Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin, RN, PhD; Margot Latimer, RN, PhD; Dawn Googoo, RN, MN; Julie Francis, RN, MScN; Christina Chakanyuka, RN, MN; and Michelle Padley, RN, MN.
This workshop shares lived experiences to promote critical thinking on cultural safety in relation to nursing education, policy, practice, and research. The concept of cultural safety emerged because of the ongoing impact of racism and discrimination towards Indigenous Peoples. The workshop discusses the theoretical foundations and evolution of cultural safety. The presenters share lived experiences of culturally unsafe practices in education, policy, practice, and research and the harms they cause. The presenters also explore how teaching and learning can be transformed through accountability, responsiveness, and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Examples of culturally safe practices in education, policy, research, and nursing practice are presented. The workshop concludes by examining what cultural safety looks like now.
On-Demand Webinar:
Citation:
LaBillois, A., Eel River Bar First Nation; Bourque Bearskin, M. L.; Latimer, M.; Googoo, D.; Francis, J.; Chakanyuka, C.; & Padley, M. (2023, November 22). Cultural safety [Webinar]. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04n1jllKlQA
Key Resources
British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives. (2023). Indigenous cultural safety, cultural humility and anti-racism: Practice standard companion guide. https://www.bccnm.ca/Documents/cultural_safety_humility/ps_companion_guide.pdf
Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. (2020). Framework of strategies for nursing education to respond to the Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Native Land (https://native-land.ca/) – A world map of Indigenous Territories, languages, and treaties, with links to sources to learn about the Indigenous territories on which we live.
Workshop 4: Taking Responsibility for the History We Have All Inherited
Delivered by: Knowledge Holder Mestési Llucmetkwe (Colleen Seymour); Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin, RN, PhD; Dr. Amélie Blanchet Garneau, inf. Ph.D; Christina Chakanyuka, RN, MN; and Michelle Padley, RN, MN.
This workshop aims to build capacity to decolonize nursing education and foster the integration of transformative learning in anti-racism. The elements of colonization and decolonization are defined, and the presenters detail what colonization in nursing looks like and what decolonizing practices are needed. Knowledge Holder Mestési Llucmetkwe (Colleen Seymour) shares her perspectives on decolonization. The workshop discusses the results from scoping review of 38 peer-reviewed articles evaluating the impact of anti-racism interventions in education. Dr. Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin shares her own experience in graduate education, the barriers from a colonial education system, and the importance of creating space for Indigenous research methods and the larger context of Indigeneity in nursing. The workshop highlights the importance of understanding the history, laws, and colonial systems that greatly impact the current context. The presenters note that while this learning is necessary, all nurses must also move into action and develop mechanisms for accountability.
On-Demand Webinar:
Citation:
Seymour, C., Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc; Bourque Bearskin, M. L.; Blanchet Garneau, A.; Chakanyuka, C.; & Padley, M. (2023, December 6). Taking responsibility for the history we have all inherited [Webinar]. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgafmY8UQS4
Key Resources
Blanchet Garneau, A., Browne A. J., & Varcoe, C. (2018). Drawing on antiracist approaches toward a critical anti-discriminatory pedagogy for nursing. Nursing Inquiry, 24(1), e12211. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12211
Eni, R., Phillips-Beck, W., Achan, G. K., Lavoie, J. G., Kinew, K. A., & Katz, A. (2021). Decolonizing health in Canada: A Manitoba first nation perspective. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20, 206. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01539-7
Workshop 5: Implementing Calls to Action in Nursing Curricula
Delivered by: Knowledge Holder Judy Pelly; Holly Graham, PhD, R.D Psychologist, RN; Dr. Margot Latimer, RN, PhD; and, Dawn Googoo, RN, MN.
This final workshop ties together the main themes from the previous four workshops. The presenters examine the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action and share examples of how different nursing organizations and education institutions have responded to these calls. The presenters emphasize the need to work in partnership with local Indigenous communities to move forward in ways that will not cause unintentional additional harms. Dr. Holly Graham and Dr. Margot Latimer share strategies they have worked on in their institutions in partnership with their local communities. Dawn Googoo, L’Nu Nursing Lead for Nova Scotia, shares about encouraging Mi’kmaw individuals to apply to nursing school and supports for Indigenous student success. The importance of mentorship from the student perspective is shared. The workshop closes with participants sharing their intentions for future actions to address the TRC Calls to Action.
On-Demand Webinar:
Citation:
Pelly, J., Cote First Nation; Graham, H.; Latimer, M.; & Googoo, D. (2024, January 17). Implementing Calls to Action in nursing curricula [Webinar]. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tkMee5Oohw
Key Resources
Browne, A. J., Varcoe, C., Lavoie, J., Smye, V., Wong, S. T., Krause, M., Tu, D., Godwin, O., Khan, K., & Fridkin, A. (2016). Enhancing health care equity with Indigenous populations: Evidence-based strategies from an ethnographic study. BMC Health Services Research, 16, 544. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1707-9
Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. (2020). Framework of strategies for nursing education to respond to the Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
CASN Anti-Racism in Nursing Education Working Group. (2023). Promoting anti-racism in nursing education in Canada.
Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada. (n.d.). Resources. https://ipacamic.ca/allyship/resources-2/
University of Saskatchewan. (n.d.). ohpahotân | oohpaahotaan – let’s fly up together: Indigenous strategy for the University of Saskatchewan. https://indigenous.usask.ca/ohpahotan-oohpaahotaan/
Wilson, D., McKinney, C., & Rapata-Hanning, M. (2011) Retention of Indigenous nursing students in New Zealand: A cross-sectional survey. Contemporary Nurse, 38(1–2), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.2011.38.1-2.59
Visit the Education and Scholarship (EAS) Database to view more webinars on-demand.