Research

Exploring how to research in good ways

Listening to stories, strengthening relationships.

Illustration of three wooden canoes by a riverside with grass, rocks, woven baskets filled with berries, and part of a colorful blanket.
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
Faculty and graduate students with experience in Indigenous community research are invited to take part in project consultations during the fall term.
Faculty and graduate students with experience in Indigenous community research are invited to take part in project consultations during the fall term.
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes

The University of Manitoba has launched Researching in Good Ways (RIGW), a new Indigenous-led initiative that invites those involved in research with Indigenous communities to come together for reflection, dialogue and learning. 

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.

Comic showing a PhD graduate learning humility from his aunt, who reminds him that community contribution matters more than titles.
“Earning My Spot” — a comic by Niigaan James Sinclair and Yan Wu that captures the spirit of Researching in Good Ways, reminding us that learning and humility extend beyond formal education and are rooted in community relationships.
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.

Kathleen Wilson

Building on community wisdom

Infographic titled “A Pathway for Indigenous Community Engagement.” It shows a winding river flowing across a landscape, symbolizing a journey through five stages of working with Indigenous communities.
River-path infographic illustrating five stages of Indigenous community engagement — before the work, forming, maintaining, closing, and after the work — emphasizing values such as reflection, reciprocity, humility and relationship.

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. 

Two women's headshots.
One man and one woman's headshots.
From left to right: Kathleen Wilson, Nicki Ferland, Dr. Don Davies and Vanessa Lamirande.
Research doesn’t begin when a project is launched. It begins much earlier—with learning, reflection and relationship building—the work before the work.

Nicki Ferland

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.

Kathleen Wilson

Ready to share your story?

Book a consultation here

October 2025 – March 2026 | Researching in Good Ways Consultations

By

Sue Wang