By: Kyiaisha Benton, BSc in Recreation, BSW, Dalhousie University Alumni

                  My name is Kyiaisha Benton and I was selected to represent Nova Scotia and attend the African Youth Governance Conference in Accra, Ghana. The 2019 theme of the AYGC conference is – Partnerships for Youth Development: Key to Building Africa beyond Aid.  This year, Ghana is commemorating the 400-year anniversary of the first enslaved Africans to North America. Connecting to the continent of Africa is an emotional, symbolic, transformation and life changing experience resulting in new pride of heritage, culture and sense of oneself for every person of African diaspora visiting for the first time.  

                  From the moment we landed in Accra we were immediately greeted by the organizers of the conference, which was great. The first thing I noticed was how there was a large population of individuals of African descent which was something I was not very used to back in Nova Scotia. I felt comfortable being around individuals who looked like me given it was my first time ever in Accra and I was not very familiar with the unique cultural practices that were used. Furthermore, the Ghanaians were very open to welcoming us into their culture and way of living. They showed us this by explaining their history, introducing us to their wonderful food and were excited to learn more about the African culture back home in Nova Scotia. 

                  I chose to enroll in the committee of health during the conference, because it related to my goals within my future social work practice. Each committee was comprised of individuals of African descent who had different cultural backgrounds, cultural beliefs and educational backgrounds; which made the group dynamic interesting. Our role as delegates was to brainstorm problems and solutions related to the synopsis that was presented to us at the beginning of the conference. We were also asked to conduct extensive research on or individual topics and needed to be ready to debate with our fellow delegates during a General Assembly where the delegates would vote for each motion within the ten committees that would be held on the last day of the conference. After all of our hard work it was amazing to find out that our motion was passed into a resolution.   

I am so glad I got the opportunity to travel to Ghana. I feel that ten days was not enough to see all of the cities and historical sites in Ghana. Although I struggled at the beginning of the conference, I have learned so much about myself personally, which I will be able to take with me as I start practicing as a social worker in the fall. I loved the atmosphere and how welcoming the Ghanaians were to us as we were experiencing their culture and way of living for the first time. In the future I hope to not only travel back to Ghana, but explore other countries within Africa in the future. I urge you all to try and take a trip to Ghana, because it is an experience you will never forget! 

These experiences are made possible through the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and Dalhousie University’s PLANS (Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians) Program.

Conference Diversity Bursary for Indigenous and African Nova Scotians

Looking to attend a conference or other professional development opportunity?

As a part of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (2016-2021) funding the Dalhousie’s Indigenous and African Nova Scotia Conference bursary program is designed as an initiative for Indigenous students (First Nation, Inuit, and Métis) and African Nova Scotians at Dalhousie University. The goal of the program is to enable students to attend extracurricular programming such as conferences as part of their professional development (does not include courses)

For more information please visit our website.

By: Leah Carrier, BScN, RN, PhD Student – Dalhousie School of Nursing

In September 2019, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the World Indigenous Cancer Conference, which was held in Calgary, Alberta. This conference provides an opportunity for health researchers, elders, knowledge holders, and community members to gather to discuss cancer research and the implementation of Indigenous cancer strategies globally. Previously this conference was held in Australia and the next one will be in Aotearoa (New Zealand), so I am very grateful to have been able to go while it was held in a more accessible location! With the generous support of the Global Health Office and the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, I was able to attend the meeting to present a research proposal and enhance my knowledge development as an Indigenous doctoral student and registered nurse.   

Globally, Indigenous peoples face a higher cancer burden that non-Indigenous peoples, which is evident even among children and youth. In workshops, we learned that Indigenous children face massive survival inequities when compared with their peers. One of the key learning points from the conference was that as health practitioners and researchers, we cannot try to make Western paradigms fit Indigenous communities and expect the same outcomes. By employing Indigenous research methods and strategies, we can find what works for Indigenous communities in terms of cancer care and implement strategies to improve outcomes. This reminded me of a talk I heard by Dr. Nadine Caron earlier this year, where she urged child health clinicians to stop trying to get Indigenous children to meet Western benchmarks for health and rather, to exceed these benchmarks by facilitating communities to define their own health pathways. There are innate strengths in our cultures and communities and health professionals and researchers can build on these strengths when designing strategies for Indigenous cancer patients and their families.  

One of my favourite parts of the conference was presenting a poster with my friend and colleague Nicole Blinn, a fourth-year undergraduate Health Promotion student. We were accepted to present a poster entitled “The Experiences of Indigenous Children and Youth in the Cancer Care System: A Scoping Review Proposal”. By co-presenting at this conference, we receive feedback on our proposal from experts in the field of cancer research. The feedback we received from knowledge holders, elders, and community members will inform the design of our review project and future directions for our research in this area. 

Thank you to the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and the Global Health Office for giving me the opportunity to attend this event – I am looking forward to implementing the knowledge I gleaned from this event in my research and clinical practice!  

For more information on these bursary opportunities for Indigenous students please visit the Global Health Office website.

By: Kem Ogoti, Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy student 

This winter semester started off with the opportunity for me to attend the Professional Development Week (PDW) Conference in Montreal. I loved the experience I gained from PDW 2020. I heard different topics from speakers and I participated in Canada’s Next Top Pharmacist representing Dalhousie University. 

Dr. Stanley Vollant was one of the keynote speakers and my favorite from the whole conference who spoke about his first-hand experience as the first Innu person in Quebec to become a surgeon in 1994.  He shared his teachings on traditional medicines and his work with community. I learned that it does not matter where you are from or even the difficulties you may face through your journey.  The key is to have a goal and work hard towards it.  The end result is all that matters. I also learned from another speaker about antibiotic stewardship and what role a pharmacist can play to make a contribution to the management of antibiotics around me and have an impact in the big scheme of things.   

I was also privileged to compete in Canada’s Next Top Pharmacist and won 3rd place for Dalhousie University.  I recited a poem that is dear to my heart entitled “Strong Black Woman.”  It was important for me to share my truth with the conference and have everyone appreciate it.   

PDW is a great conference to attend as you get to meet future colleagues and possible employers from all over Canada. It was also great to have the career fair and begin to start thinking about where I would like to work in the future. Montreal was also a great location to have it as we got to explore the city and immerse with the French culture.  

I would like to thank the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and the Global Health Office for making this experience possible for me and express my extreme gratitude for the opportunity. For more information on these opportunities please visit the Global Health Office Diversity website.