CRIAW is proud to announce that we have been awarded a major research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) under their CURA program (Community-University Research Alliance). 

CRIAW’s project is called “FemNorthNet: learning from women's experiences of community transformations as a result of economic restructuring.”  Over the next 5 years we will explore the impact economic development is having on women, and how communities are being transformed socially, economically, and culturally. Where communities, families, and women are concerned, the question is whether the growth is sustainable or equitable. Meanwhile, many long-standing social and economic challenges persist, not the least of which are those confronting Aboriginal populations.

The three targeted communities for FemNorthNet’s innovative research are La Loche, Saskatchewan, Thompson, Manitoba, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

By studying these timely issues through perspectives that are often overlooked, FemNorthNet is poised to provoke the broader discussion on economic restructuring and healthy communities. Tough questions about social infrastructure and social issues like poverty, violence, and housing have to be asked. And answers must include and involve women.

The work of FemNorthNet will cut through four major themes: community infrastructure and economic development; community engagement and governance; community inclusions and exclusions; and migration, immigration, and mobility.

FemNorthNet will benefit communities in the North (and beyond) by: 

• Highlighting the unique diverse experiences of women, including Aboriginal women

• Valuing equitable relationships between community and academic researchers

• Using qualitative research methods, multidimensional approaches (including CRIAW’s ‘intersectional feminist frameworks’), participatory action research, and digital storytelling

• Creating a network among women in the three targeted communities and between those in the North and South

• Engaging community members in the process of research and action

• Creating capacity for women to influence economic development planning

• Increasing the pool of those with knowledge in this area

• Publishing a toolkit and training students and others on it

• Facilitating the transfer, sharing, and mobilization of knowledge acquired

This project and its objectives could not be more timely, its outcomes not more relevant and applicable. When it comes to making a contribution to the discourse around economic and community development, FemNorthNet’s will be a powerful one. Why? Because of its commitment to draw deeply from the experiences of community members and to link analysis with action.

For a listing of our research team and community partners, go to the SSHRC web site.  Our project is the final one listed there.