For graduate student Leslie Kirkness, community has been an enduring theme at the heart of his work and studies while completing his Master’s in Development Practice (MDP).
“Giving back to community is what we want to do as students and as researchers,” he said. “And MDP has really given me that platform to give back to communities in a good way.”
Kirkness is a First Nations student from Opaskwayak Cree Nation who will be graduating this fall. As part of the program, Kirkness had the opportunity to complete two international field placements to work and learn in Indigenous communities in Dominica and, most recently, Colombia.
The opportunities to connect the classroom learning to real-world life experiences, I think, was essential to my learning.
Leslie Kirkness
“We are all completely different, but we also experience the same issues in some capacity,” Kirkness explained. “Being able to connect with these Indigenous communities, learning about their issues that they deal with, and then how they are overcoming it is something that I hold close to my heart.”
While in Colombia, Kirkness had the chance to participate in traditional ceremonies, take part in local traditions, and build connections with community members. He said the experience helped him be adaptable, develop relationship building skills, and gain new perspectives.
“In the classroom, you’re gaining the basics of the skills that you need and you’re learning from your fellow cohort. But there are so many perspectives out there that could change your worldview,” he said. “So having that opportunity to go international, for me, it just broadens my perspective and worldview that classroom experiences built a base for.”
Kirkness also had the chance to bring some of his own skills and experience to the Muisca people in Colombia by building an ethical guideline for positive research in community, as well as a protocol handbook that will allow researchers to conduct research in a good way.
Leslie Kirkness making homemade envueltos while in Colombia.
“It gave that right to the Muisca people to self-determine how their knowledge will be handled and who handles it,” he said. “That in itself was such an amazing opportunity, and I’m really glad that I was able to give back to community.”
Kirkness is working for the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation as a community engagement specialist. There, he hopes to apply what he learned from his time at UWinnipeg to help youth from across Manitoba and surrounding areas learn from Indigenous development practitioners.
“Community engagement is a skill that, yes they teach in the classroom, but applying that in real life, it’s a lot different and it’s very hard,” he said. “The opportunities to connect the classroom learning to real-world life experiences, I think, was essential to my learning and it allowed me to build my skills in a practical way, as well as grow my skills in community engagement.”
Kirkness is one of several students who will be presenting at the MDP Field Placement Symposium on September 18 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in 3RC060. The University community is invited to join Master’s in Development Practice students, who will share their experiences working with organizations and communities on Indigenous approaches to development in Winnipeg and beyond.
To learn more about the MDP program’s field placements, you can read The University of Winnipeg’s MDP students blog from the field.
