Over the coming months, the Researching in Good Ways team will host a series of consultations with faculty, graduate students and Indigenous community partners. These sessions will create a space to share insights and experiences, helping shape principles that honour Indigenous knowledge and uphold mutual respect. 

“At the heart of this project is a commitment to listening first.” says Project Director Kathleen Wilson. 

“ Rather than leading with our own assumptions, we are focused on creating space for Indigenous communities to share their stories and wisdom about research. By placing these voices at the forefront, we honour their guidance and ensure the framework grows from lived experience.” 

Building on community wisdom

RIGW project builds on the foundation of Working in Good Ways — an Indigenous framework for community engagement developed by the Community Engaged Learning department several years ago through conversations with Indigenous partners, faculty and students. 

During Working in Good Ways consultations, many participants shared stories about their experiences with community-based research — stories of successes, challenges and lessons learned. 

Nicki Ferland, Director of Land-Based Education and Indigenous Curriculum and co-lead of Working in Good Ways, recalls: 

“ These stories become the guide for what to do, and what not to do, and will help us change the way we research here at the UM.” 

Extending the work into research 

While Working in Good Ways focused broadly on community engagement, this new phase turns its lens specifically toward research — exploring what has gone well, what barriers still exist and what lessons can shape future collaborations.

Supported by the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous), the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) and the Strategic Initiatives Support Fund, the new project aims to create a resource to help researchers engage in more respectful and reciprocal ways. 

“Research doesn’t begin when a project is launched,” says Ferland. “It begins much earlier—with learning, reflection and relationship building—the work before the work.” 

From left to right: Kathleen Wilson, Nicki Ferland, Dr. Don Davies and Vanessa Lamirande.

Led by Indigenous experience and leadership 

The project is guided by a team of Indigenous scholars and community leaders: 

• Kathleen Wilson – Project Director, a Two-Spirit Métis educator and researcher with extensive experience in curriculum design and interdisciplinary research 
• Nicki Ferland – Director of Land-Based Education and Indigenous Curriculum and co-lead of Working in Good Ways 
• Dr. Don Davies – Director of Indigenous Research at UM, committed to advancing Indigenous research sovereignty 
• Vanessa Lamirande – Assistant to the Directors, supporting coordination and relationship building across the project 

Wilson hopes the outcomes will inspire long-term institutional change. 

“The hope is that the framework and its associated resources will become embedded within university research structures, fostering meaningful and lasting change in how researchers engage and collaborate with Indigenous partners.” 

An invitation to participate 

Do you have experience conducting or supporting research with Indigenous communities? The team welcomes you to share your insights. 

Consultations will take place from October 2025 through March 2026, in both in-person and online formats. Dedicated sessions for Indigenous participants will also be available to ensure discussions happen in safe and culturally grounded spaces. 

For more information or to participate,  

• Contact: Kathleen Wilson – Project Director (kathleen.wilson@umanitoba.ca) 
• Learn more: Researching in Good Ways landing page 

Researching in Good Ways is more than a project—it is an ongoing commitment to shaping a research path that moves forward in true partnership with Indigenous communities.