Meriba buay – ngalpan wakaythoemamay (We come together to share our thinking)

Evaluating a community of practice for Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing

Timeframe: 2017 to 2019

Funded by: The Lowitja Institute

Investigators:

• Dr Felecia Watkin-Lui (Project Lead – JCU)
• Dr Sanchia Shibasaki (SenseMakers 4 Smarter Care)
• Dr Cass Hunter (CSIRO)
• Dr Shaun Taylor (QHealth)
• Dr Daniel Grainger (JCU)
• Dr Vinnitta Mosby (JCU)
• Mrs Juanita Sellwood (JCU)
• Mr Al Harvey (UQ)
• Ms Margaret Harvey (Monash University)
• Ms Lynda Ah Mat (JCU)

Aims:

• Evaluate how a Community of Practice (CoP) can best   assist Torres Strait Islander researchers and community members to build   research knowledge translation capability.
• Enhance social capital through the mobilisation of   knowledge about adaptability and resilience initiatives and strategies to   address natural environment concerns relating to Torres Strait Islander people.

HREC Approval Number:

Outputs:

International collaboration with knowledge mobilisers in Canada in 2018 includes:

• York University, Toronto, Ontario,   Canada
  • Dr David Phipps
  • Michael Johnny
• University of Winnipeg, Manitoba,   Canada
  • Jill Condra (Organiser: 204-294-9042)
  • Alana Lajoie-O’Malley
  • Danny Blair
  • Ian Mauro
  • Melanie Christine Zurba
  • Ryan Bullock
• Ontario Federation of Indigenous   Friendship Centre – Research Team
• Centre of Addiction and Mental Health
• Toronto Knowledge Transfer and   Exchange Community of Practice
• University of Guelph
  • Elizabeth Shantz
  • Rebecca Moore
  • Melissa MacKay
  • Elin Gwyn
  • Travis Sztainert (from Gambling Research Exchange Ontario)

Publications:

• The case for a Torres Strait Islander-driven, long-term research   agenda for environment, health and wellbeing, K. Cheer et al. 2020, Australian and New Zealand Journal of   Public Health, online, doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12979
• Shibasaki S, Sibthorpe B, Watkin Lui F, et al. Flipping the researcher knowledge translation perspective on knowledge use: a   scoping study. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 2019;15(3):271-280. doi:10.1177/1177180119865636

Presentations:

• Watkin Lui, F. and Shibasaki, S. Meriba buay ngalpan wakathoemamay – We Come Together to Share Our Thinking: A Torres   Strait Islander Researchers Community of Practice. 2018 Canadian Knowledge   Mobilization Forum, 11 June 2018. Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
• How do you do knowledge translation that works? - Meriba buay (We come together to share our thinking) https://youtu.be/keDHUlEJqDM
• Shibasaki, S. 2018. Meriba buay - ngalpan wakaythoemamay
  (We come together to share our thinking) Evaluating a Community of Practice for Torres Strait Islander Health and Well-being. Public Seminar, The Australian Association for Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra. ACT.

Media articles:

• Culture Clings to a Life Buoy

https://www.croakey.org/culture-clings-to-a-lifebuoy-torres-strait-islander-researchers-flipping-the-climate-risk/

• Profiling Torres Strait Islander solutions for   environmental sustainability

https://www.croakey.org/profiling-torres-strait-islander-solutions-for-environmental-sustainability/

Links:

https://www.lowitja.org.au/page/research/research-categories/cultural-and-social-determinants/culture-for-health-and-wellbeing/completed-projects/meriba-buay