HIR Wellness Institute is an Indigenous and survivor-led matriarchal organization. As part of our work to decolonize we practice Indigenous data sovereignty. We define Indigenous data sovereignty similarly to “The Indigenous World”, as the right of Indigenous peoples to own, control, access, and possess data with the inherent rights to self-determination and governance (INDIGENOUS DATA SOVERIGNTY, April 1, 2022). 

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At HIR Wellness Institute we are guided by an intergenerational decision-making model of the Children’s Fire, with this as our guidance we strive to serve our community for generations to come. Data is more than numbers and outcomes, it is part of our organization’s way to story tell the heart of the work, and the needs of the community that we serve. For example, our CAMPsite™ survey informed consent talks about what we do with this information, how it is used, and why it matters as part of our decolonial work as an Indigenous and survivor-led organization. 

HIR Wellness Institute gathers information in various ways including photographs, videos, social media, and survey data. We strive to protect our relatives who visit our spaces (in-person or virtually). We do this by informing our spaces when photography or videography will be used and minimalizing our use of identifying information. In addition, all survey information gathered is de-identified in any reporting to protect the identities and privacy of our relatives.

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Information gathered by the HIR Wellness Institute is used to forward our vision and mission as stated below:

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Our mission:

To increase mental health accessibility and inclusivity for health justice through demonetizing the relationships between the mental health systems, and those seeking mental health services within Indigenous and historically under-invested and therefore chronically underserved communities. 

How we do this:

We liberate the practice, pedagogy, service delivery, and training of mental health by stewarding matriarchal shared-leadership of the Community Activated Medicine (CAM™) Framework™ and Intergenerational Healing Approach™. 

We seek to learn from our ancestors’ teachings and the ways of governance that worked for the global majority centuries prior to colonization, we invite our Indigenous roles into colonial spaces. Our ways are from many differing nations and our resilience has always rooted in the health and wellbeing of our communities while we thrive through social & value-based economies.

For questions regarding data we collect and how it is used, please reach out to us for further information. 

Contact: Jamie Kellicut, Community Engagement & Indigenous Affairs Director JKellicut@hirwellness.org