The global impact of Brock University\u2019s research was recently showcased on the world stage during the Canada-Caribbean Institute\u2019s (CCI) second annual research symposium.<\/p>\n
Held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados from Feb. 23 to 24, the Canada-Caribbean Research Symposium (CCRS) brought together scholars from multiple institutions to discuss a variety of topics, such as Indigenous research, physical activity, economic growth and trade, and gender diversity.<\/p>\n
The theme of this year\u2019s event \u2014 Decoloniality: Past, Present and Future Directions \u2014 was inspired by the secession of Barbados from the British Commonwealth in 2021 and focused on exploring opportunities and challenges for decolonizing knowledge and practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe organizers wanted to not only celebrate Barbados and how the country is charting its own destiny, but also encourage discussion and amplify the research of Caribbean and Canadian scholars working to address decolonization,\u201d says Michael Naraine, Brock\u2019s CCI Director and Associate Professor in the University\u2019s Department of Sport Management.<\/p>\n
Founded by Brock and UWI, the CCI\u2019s mission is to connect scholars from across Canada and the Caribbean to collaborate on vital economic, environmental and social issues that affect both regions.<\/p>\n
What started as a bilateral relationship between the two universities has grown into a network of researchers and colleagues from multiple institutions who come together and explore mutual interests.<\/p>\n
Lynn Wells, Brock\u2019s Provost and Vice-President, Academic, provided opening remarks at the CCRS and extolled the significance of the long-standing relationship between Brock and the CCI in advancing the latter\u2019s mission in the years following its inception.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been exciting to watch the CCI partnership grow from the personal vision of its founders into a strong alliance of scholars with shared values and objectives,\u201d says Wells, remarking how the personal ties Canadian collaborators have with the Caribbean make for more meaningful work and stronger long-term connections.<\/p>\n
It’s a sentiment echoed by Naraine, whose Canada-Caribbean connection runs deep as the Toronto-born son of Caribbean immigrants. His position with the CCI allows him to support research on issues that pertain to both regions he considers home.<\/p>\n
Naraine says that among the highlights at this year\u2019s conference was a discussion about decolonization and experiential learning led by five Brock students: Kiara Kalenuik, Ryanne Logan, Kian Reno, Tory Shklanka and Kahlan Woodhouse.<\/p>\n
Naraine believes the students\u2019 presentation had a ripple effect on attendees from the Caribbean whose universities and colleges don\u2019t typically hold space for student-led initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing insights from the students themselves offered a fresh perspective on the topic of decoloniality, as well as the unique opportunities and knowledge students gain through experiential learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to sessions held throughout the two-day event, colleagues from Brock, which has had a student exchange agreement in place with UWI since 2013, were also able to meet with their UWI counterparts and tour campus facilities between sessions.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s CCRS emphasized the importance of knowledge mobilization in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
For Naraine, this means sharing learnings in ways that can be applied practically. The way Brock researchers embrace what he refers to as a \u2018glocal mindset\u2019 \u2014 maintaining both local and global considerations in research \u2014 plays a pivotal role in the mobilization process.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur researchers present their findings at places like the St. Catharines Public Library and then present the same findings in the Caribbean with equally meaningful effect,\u201d he says. \u201cDefending their work with an international audience shows the true impact of their research and their ability to execute it in meaningful, practical ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Events such as the CCRS \u201cgive our researchers scholarly momentum,\u201d says Naraine. \u201cPeople are looking at their work and understanding its profound impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next CCRS is expected to take place in early 2024. In the meantime, those who have personal and\/or academic ties to the Caribbean and are interested in learning more about the CCI are encouraged to attend the Institute\u2019s upcoming spring meeting, which will be announced on the CCI events web page<\/a> in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The global impact of Brock University\u2019s research was recently showcased on the world stage during the Canada-Caribbean Institute\u2019s (CCI) second annual research symposium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":84904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,9794,7,1,4,5],"tags":[9879,159,10947,8714,12595,10417,4753,3289,12406,8809,8568,3325,7944,8347],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84903"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84903"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85004,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84903\/revisions\/85004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}