In today’s constantly evolving digital world, community-driven initiatives such as Art Borups Corners and the @1860 Arts collective are exemplifying how technology and innovation can empower Indigenous youth to thrive in the digital world.

Art Borups Corners, as a non-profit organization, was established to support four primary purposes: Indigenous food sector entrepreneurship and skills development training, promoting Indigenous agriculture and agri-food-focused research, fostering trade in Indigenous peoples’ food products, and cultural revitalization through arts, digital culture, and creative entrepreneurship.

Even though our central focus is on food security, we understand the significant task of building organizational capacity ahead of us. Many other organizations face similar challenges, which is why we support regional collaboration and collective organizational capacity building.

Addressing Organizational Capacity Challenges

Many organizations, especially those in northern Manitoba and Nunavut, but also across the south are heavily reliant on volunteer boards, societies, and non-profits to serve the most vulnerable populations. Unfortunately many of these organizations lack governance and management capacity, support, and the stability required to secure adequate funding, fulfill legal and reporting requirements, retain staff, and prevent burnout.  There’s also a lot of people who are moving on in life. They’ve been involved for many years, many are retiring and there is a general need to rejuvenate and recruit a new generation of board members, staff and volunteers.

“Building on these activities, Art Borups Corners will pilot a Digital Media Internship Program this summer, designed to provide hands-on experience in digital marketing, communications, media, and advertising for emerging Indigenous artists and cultural entrepreneurs,” said Jamie Bell. One of the artists and mentors behind the food security, arts and resiliency program he said “We’ve been working on conceptualizing what Art Borups Corners could look like as a social program since last May. In this time we’ve put a huge amount of effort into consultation, engagement and outreach. Each iteration informs the next.”

Bridging digital skill gaps is a recurring challenge, especially in remote and underserved communities. While initiatives like Art Borups Corners work hard to enhance digital literacy, many youth and other community members initially lack access to foundational skills and training. These gaps, which are growing, seriously inhibit participation and limit the engagement necessary to foster innovative outcomes. Extensive efforts to develop competency-building activities and comprehensive (formal and informal) training programs are imperative, although they require substantial investment and planning.

Information Asymmetry, the Lack of Information Sharing and Communication

In our engagements, we’ve noticed there has been a significant decline in the number of Northern organizations utilizing news pages. This reflects noticeable gaps in communication, outreach, engagement, and the delivery of programs and services. The noticeable and drastic reduction in transparent and consistent information dissemination hampers community engagement and awareness of organizational activities and successes. With the loss of once-key organizations like the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association and the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce, these growing communication voids underscore the urgent need for supporting capacity-building efforts aimed at building and enhancing the digital communication skills of these organizations.

Developing basic communication strategies, including active news updates, social media presence, and accessible reporting, is vital. These basic activities can help ensure that communities stay better informed and engaged while also highlighting the impactful work being done by organizations. There is a need to equip Northern organizations with tools and skills to effectively communicate their activities, successes, and opportunities, so that they can then in turn incubate stronger connections with their stakeholders and enhance overall community development.

“This year’s programming is about empowering Indigenous youth and emerging artists and food sector workers by teaching them about digital supply chains and food security,” said Bell. “Activities are designed to equip future leaders with critical skills to enhance food distribution and sustainability in their communities.”

Many organizations, particularly post-pandemic, require foundational training to rejuvenate their public relations, outreach, and technical skills. This includes leveraging emerging technologies to support organizational development and to incubate community-member-led initiatives to advance modern communication practices . Enhanced communication capacities are needed for organizations to better connect with their communities, share important information and opportunities, and to participate in broader socio-economic discourses.

Addressing these communication challenges cannot be done in isolation; it will require a concerted and multi-dimensional effort toward participatory organizational development and authentic cross-organizational collaboration to ensure long-term viability and sustainability across sectors 

Infrastructure Limitations

Operating within Northern and remote areas often means dealing with significant infrastructure constraints. Reliable internet connectivity, updated hardware, and access to contemporary software are not always guaranteed. These infrastructure bottlenecks can delay project timelines and exacerbate the technological divide these very initiatives seek to bridge. As well, the logistical challenges of maintaining up-to-date information systems and ensuring software compatibility pose additional burdens on project implementation and often costs due to the need for increased bandwidth.

The Need for Accessible and Sustainable Funding Models

Reliance on short-term grants and uncertain funding cycles can hinder the establishment of continuous and scalable programs. Youth, volunteer and community-driven projects like Art Borups Corners need consistent and stable funding streams to create enduring impacts. However, securing such funding often requires compelling evidence of outcomes and impact, which not only demands rigorous reporting protocols but also substantial time and resources dedicated to evaluation and advocacy efforts.

“This program highlights the necessity for accessible and sustainable funding models, said Bell. “Securing such funding often demands compelling evidence of outcomes, rigorous reporting, and substantial resources dedicated to evaluation and advocacy. Current financial structures, such as reimbursement-based funding, can act as barriers, especially for vulnerable youth and community members by always requiring upfront capital and often not valuing in-kind contributions.”

Many programs operate on a reimbursement basis, which requires organizations to complete and pay for activities upfront before receiving funding. Such financial structures can exacerbate difficulties faced by vulnerable barrier-facing youth in accessing programs, as the organizations best positioned to support them may not have the upfront capital required to participate. Changes are needed to ensure impactful community initiatives are not stifled by financial constraints, allowing for more equitable participation and the scaling of beneficial programming.

Newer funding initiatives like “From the Ground Up – Safe Healthy Communities for ALL Program” program from the Province of Manitoba recognize the value of in-kind contributions including volunteer time, donated goods, and pro bono services, which are critical resources for smaller organizations and programs.

Community Engagement and Trust Building

“Building trust and achieving meaningful engagement with communities and grassroots programs are foundational but challenging aspects of capacity-building efforts,” said Jamie Bell. “It is increasingly essential to cultivate relationships that respect cultural norms and values, especially in Indigenous contexts.”

However, Bell cautioned, distrust in external entities or previous adverse experiences can pose challenges. Effective engagement requires long-term commitment, consistent communication, and transparency which must be woven into all threads of project planning and activity implementation.

The Manitoba Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership Indigenous Agriculture and Relationship Development program exemplifies this through opportunities to engage agri-food sector stakeholders. The Relationship Development and Engagement initiative within this program aims to advance interactions between industry, academia, and Indigenous communities. It also supports building deeper connections among various sector participants, including industry, organizations, boards, watersheds, rural municipalities, businesses, Indigenous communities, and government entities. Art Borups Corners and all of its activities were made possible with this program.

Enhancing the Dynamics of Collaboration

Most importantly, the success of community and grassroots-driven initiatives like Art Borups Corners rely heavily on multi-stakeholder collaboration. Coordinating between numerous partners, including educational institutions, industry players, and government bodies, also present logistical and strategic challenges. Differences in organizational goals, operational structures, or communication practices can complicate joint efforts and hamper effective execution.

There’s a need for relationship development, renewed engagement and to work in partnership.

Data: We can’t manage what we can’t measure

Every organization needs data these days.

Even the federal government has acknowledged that Canada currently lacks detailed statistical data that governments, public institutions, academics, and advocates need in order to make fully informed, evidence-based policy decisions and to effectively address racial and social inequities. Meaningfully addressing these actions will require collaboration between Indigenous, federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

Collecting distinctions-based data across various socio-economic indicators, including poverty, food security, employment, education, criminal justice, social support networks, housing, homelessness, physical environments, and early child development, is integral to informing evidence-based actions that promote the safety, security, health, and wellness of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples. Ongoing research is essential for understanding the root causes and factors contributing to improved outcomes in these areas.

Capacity building in this area has been identified by multiple organizations as being required in order to contribute to health and social systems free of racism and discrimination. In particular, there is a need for programs and activities that will lead to better health and wellness outcomes for Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and their children and families.

Art Borups Corners has been exploring what new approaches and pathways could look like. The use of participatory approaches also hopes to enable the creation of more authentic and context-sensitive indicators, enhancing the quality and relevance of collected data. In the end, and despite all these advancements, the ultimate driver of success will rest in the development of participatory organizational frameworks and basic cross-organizational collaboration. These elements are absolutely necessary to create sustainable capacities, leverage pooled resources, and establish the systematic support mechanisms needed to transcend individual initiatives while fostering long-term community resilience, growth and sustainability.

Aligning activities to Canada’s AI strategy

Canada’s AI strategy emphasizes the importance of enhancing AI skills and talent among youth through training programs. The strategy focuses on promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in the AI sector by designing and funding next-generation training programs that provide STEM access to underrepresented groups.

One of the standout initiatives by Art Borups Corners this year involves the active utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance the learning experiences of its Youth, Arts, and Media Team members. Through participation in the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth and artists are able to explore the world of data literacy, complementing existing project activities across the arts, food sector entrepreneurship, and non-profit sectors. The outcomes are to not only broaden their skill set but to also open doors to new opportunities at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation.

Earlier this year, the project created a Sustainable Development Goals Action Tracker to help communicate their commitment to advancing the SDGs by example. This summer, the team will build on that introductory work by learning to create their own models and knowledge bases.

Building on these activities, Art Borups Corners will pilot a Digital Media Internship Program this summer, designed to provide hands-on experience in digital marketing, communications, media, and advertising for emerging Indigenous artists and cultural entrepreneurs. This program is being designed to equip participants with essential skills for career advancement while fostering a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship. Activities are also laying the groundwork for future research where community voices can be amplified through the design and development of digital platforms.

Activities and Collaboration for Transformative Impact

Beyond its internal initiatives, Art Borups Corners seeks alignments and collaborations that can amplify its impact and ability to support innovation. Engaging with industry partners, academic and research institutions, as well as innovative platforms, the Art Borups Corners program is working hard to create synergies to propel its mission forward. These collaborative efforts further enrich the learning experiences of of the whole group, offering holistic approaches that blend traditional knowledge with contemporary technological advancements.

Prioritizing digital literacy and skill development, Art Borups Corners aligns with global initiatives aimed at closing the digital divide and empowering all communities with the necessary tools for success in the digital age. Through Art Borups Corners, youth don’t become consumers of media but active creators and innovators, harnessing the power of technology to amplify their voices, and to help drive positive change in their communities — and to do it in ways that actively contribute to building local and regional sectoral capacity.

Projects like Art Borups Corners are working hard to effectively harness the power of participatory arts and research to address these data and reporting challenges. Involving Indigenous youth, artists and community members in the design and implementation of arts-based data collection and storytelling methods, they ensure that data gathering processes not only respect cultural nuances but also resonate more deeply with the lived experiences of participants.

The Journeys Continue

As the academic year comes to a close, the adventures are just beginning. The Norwegians and Americans have been outstanding in their support for Art Borups Corners as a project and we’re incredibly thankful for their supporting our project on its journey.

Several of the incredible students from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design who supported Art Borups Corners these past six months are heading to Norway at the end of May to present at the 2024 Arctic Congress in Bodø, Norway. While the Canadian members of the team won’t be able to make the trip this time, we all wanted to say how proud we are of their efforts in piloting this year’s toolkit development and experiential design project.

Connor Johnson will present on “Fostering Food Security and Innovation through Experiential Design.” This session will highlight the application of experiential design to foster innovation and community collaboration through immersive arts experiences.

Anastasia Broman will present on “Advocating for Food Security,” focusing on food sovereignty within Arctic populations as a crucial aspect of combating global warming and decolonization. This workshop will use artistic, immersive methods to address food security issues spanning past, present, and future contexts.

Ellis Anderson will present on “Urban Foraging,” emphasizing how urban foraging can enhance food sovereignty and community bonding while bringing environment-conscious practices into the spotlight. This workshop will include interactive activities like identifying edible plants and providing educational materials about staple foraging species.

As well, long-time participatory research mentor and University of Victoria PhD candidate Maeva Gauthier will be co-hosting “Towards a circumpolar education program on environmental change and resilience.” The side event is made possible by Dr. Jeff Birchall, Director of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Lab at the University of Alberta and Lead for the UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience. This special panel session and workshop event will take place on May 29 at 3:00 p.m. in Bodø, Norway.

The overall goal of the panel and workshop is to establish new relationships and strengthen existing ones; and to develop collaboratively co-create a locally and student-focused circumpolar education program on environmental change and resilience. We hope everyone who will be at the conference will be able to attend and support this important initiative.

Relationship Development and Engagement

We would like to thank the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, University of Minnesota Duluth, OpenAI and its Researcher Access Program for supporting our Art Borups Corners project activities. We also acknowledge funding and support from Manitoba Agriculture and the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Indigenous Food Systems program, and the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Indigenous Intellectual Property Protection Program. The Art Borups Corners Youth, Arts and Media Team is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Program. We also thank the University of Victoria Community Based Research Lab, Live It Earth, and the University of the Arctic for supporting all of the youth and their activities.

To learn more about Art Borups Corners and to follow its adventures, visit the project news page at: http://artsincubator.ca/news