Artists Supporting Community: Exploring Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

This new project supports building critical organizational capacity needs for multiple organizations. Using mixed-methodological, arts-based and participatory approaches to consultation, relationship development and engagement. A primary goal is to incubate opportunities for Indigenous cultural expression, participation, promotion, and representation in the arts, cultural industries and media. 

Organizational capacity, particularly in across northern not-for-profit sectors has been identified as a major challenge area by several organizations our project team spoke with during initial consultations. The loss of organizations, such as the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce and their capabilities are stark examples of the growing gaps and vulnerabilities facing smaller, local and regional not-for-profit organizations and societies. Building on initial research activities supported by the Manitoba Sustainable Canadian Agriculture – Indigenous Food Systems Program, this next arts initiative centers on building meaningful relationships between various stakeholders, including northern and southern non-profit organizations, legal services boards, local services boards, businesses, chambers of commerce and emerging artists and aspiring entrepreneurs from Inuit, First Nations and Metis communities. 

The project will place a strong emphasis on improved capacity for communicating, impact measurement, evaluation and reporting as key outcomes. These activities support SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Robust metrics and evaluation frameworks will be co-designed and piloted to measure impacts, opportunities for advancing economic reconciliation and arts-based approaches to restorative justice with a commitment to building capacity for sustained data collection, analysis, reporting, and training youth and community members in intervention design and delivery.

Additionally, documentation of project activities, outcomes, and impacts will be thorough, incorporating co-designed qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. This new pilot project will explore the co-creation of a structured program aligned with multiple priorities outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Action Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and numerous federal departmental UNDRIP Action Plan implementation priorities. 

This program will be strategically co-developed to address critical organizational capacity needs within Northern, non-profit organizations. It will work with regional legal services boards in understanding and communicating concepts around UNDRIP and priorities related to the UNDA implementation Action Plan.

Would you like to learn more? Contact jamie@niriqatiginnga.ca or tony@niriqatiginnga.ca for more information on how you can support this new project.