Professor U of S awarded Canada Research Chair

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University of Saskatchewan researchers’ efforts to understand street gangs and street lifestyles can be traced back to when Dr. Robert Henry sought information from traditional sources, but they were lacking. I realized that

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Henry’s interest in the field stemmed from his work as a teaching assistant at a community school where street gang issues became involved. At that moment he wanted to understand what was happening in front of him.

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That research led him to a career of studying and working to understand the street gangs and lifestyles of the area, their differences and the underlying issues of the Prairie. Henry was recently recognized as the Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair for Indigenous Justice and Welfare.

Henry, a Metis, is honored to be given the position of chairman.

“It’s been a lot of work…a lot of support from people who support and recognize the work I do. And it’s an honor to hold one of these positions,” he said. .

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Henry, assistant professor of indigenous studies at the university and executive director of the Saskatchewan Network Environment for Indigenous Health Studies, said much of the readily available information about street gangs and lifestyles comes from people with first-hand knowledge. It states that the information is directly available without The problem is that it is secondary information on which policy is based. Information tends to come from police, judicial officials and researchers who use quantitative data, he explained.

“I also found a lot of the information being put forward really morbid the lives of the people who live it. That’s how I got into it,” Henry said in an interview. I got

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According to Henry, much of the research on street gangs is confined to specific communities, but members tend to move between communities because of prison systems and foster care. To truly understand what’s going on, he said, you need a broader perspective.

With the help of Saskatoon-based STR8 UP, who help people get out of the gang lifestyle, and Winnipeg-based Ogijiita Pimatisiwin Kinamatwin, Henry advises him on what’s going on on the ground. We plan to form an age- and gender-representative advisory board to and what issues his research should focus on. The committee includes people who were involved in street gangs.

For him, measures of success at the end of his five-year term include developing more collaborative networks across the Prairie and using the knowledge gained to shape policy. He wants to develop a prairie-based network that brings together community organizations in Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

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Baljit Singh, vice president of research at the U of S, said the community-based work aims to improve understanding of street gangs and lifestyles, and to guide public policy efforts to mitigate high rates of incarceration among indigenous peoples. He said it helps shape.

The study, led by Shin University, “will help pave the way for transformative decolonization and reconciliation across Canada and will serve as a global model,” he added.

Henry’s approach is to work with communities, find out what’s going on, and find out how those people want to share their stories. to introduce. This includes the use of audio and visual his media in Clips and PhotoVoice. PhotoVoice combines words and images to put the camera in the hands of people sharing their stories. He said the other part is training people on these methods so they can do research and support researchers to get involved in the community.

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Henry has published two books using PhotoVoice, Brighter Days Ahead and Indigenous Women and Street Gangs. The former shared first-hand experience of Indigenous men and the role of masculinity in her lifestyle. In his second book, previously on the streets, he worked with women who were involved in gangs and lifestyles. Henry realized there was depth and richness that research methods other than interviews could offer.

Technology plays a large role in research, but it must be done ethically and in a way that the community is informed of the risks and value of participating.

“We empower people in that space to say, ‘What’s the point of you being there?’ he said.

tjames@postmedia.com

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