Welcome to the Indigenous Climate Hub Member Network

This online network was created for Indigenous peoples, communities and organizations to share Indigenous climate change news, projects, and initiatives. Similar to popular social media websites, you can network and connect with other online members, share news articles and resources on climate change, and join and participate in online groups and forums. What makes this online network unique is that it is 100% dedicated to addressing the climate change challenges faced by Indigenous communities in Canada. Our members include: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, climate change leaders, Knowledge Keepers and Elders, and community members—all working towards climate change adaptation in Indigenous communities. By sharing, connecting, and collaborating, we can take on climate change challenges as a collective. Together, we are stronger, wiser, and resilient.

What can you do in the Members Network?

On the Indigenous Climate Hub Members Network, members can learn more about other Indigenous community climate change projects. Members have the ability to post updates on their climate change projects and initiatives regularly. Online forums allow members to share their challenges and to ask for advice from other members. There are many ways to interact and collaborate online, including starting and participating in online groups and sharing media. This exclusive members-only network can only be accessed by Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) members and their partners/collaborators; thus, the network creates a ‘safe space’ to connect. The Indigenous Climate Hub Members Network may not be used for solicitation of any kind, including for the purposes of recruitment for climate change academic research. If you have any questions regarding the website, membership eligibility, or if you need technical assistance, please contact us at admin@okwaho.com.

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Members Network Eligibility

  1. Self-identify as an individual of First Nations (Status or Non-Status), Inuit, or Métis descent and you are passionate about climate change and would like to join and actively engage with others working on Indigenous climate change initiatives or projects.
  2. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis community representation—community leaders and members including Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders that are leading, or are a part of, climate change initiatives and/or projects.
  3. First Nations, Inuit, or Métis organizations—includes staff working at Indigenous organizations, who are championing Indigenous climate change initiatives or projects.
  4. Non-Indigenous individuals who have been contracted by Indigenous communities or Indigenous organizations to co-lead Indigenous climate change projects. A letter of acknowledgement of your association to a project may be required before membership approval.

Non-Eligibile

  1. Non-Indigenous institutions/organizations/businesses not affiliated to an Indigenous environment or climate change project or initiative are asked not to apply at this time for ICH membership. The administrators of the Indigenous Climate Hub ask that our non-Indigenous allies make space for Indigenous peoples to connect and work together on the ICH Network and appreciate your support in doing so.

Getting Started: What can you do on the Indigenous Climate Hub Members Network?

So what can I do on the ICH network?

The Indigenous Climate Hub (ICH) Members Network was created to provide an online space for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities (and partners) working on community climate change projects. The ICH Members Network provides a space for project management, community engagement, learning and sharing, and problem solving. Below are a few examples of how you might use the ICH Members Network. These examples are provided for inspiration. You are welcome to use the ICH Members Network for other purposes, as long as it is related to climate change.

Here are three examples of ICH network activities

Example 1: Your community (or organization) has just received funding to lead an Indigenous community climate change adaptation project. As a project leader, you would like to use the ICH Members Network to engage community members, so they can share their ideas and insights on the creation of the project.

  • If you have received funding, first of all, congratulations! The ICH Members Network can help you to manage your project and can provide an online space for community engagement. In this scenario, we would recommend:
    1. Sending invitations to join the ICH Members Network – to all of the project members and/or community members you would like to work with. The easiest way is to share the ICH Members Network is to send an email invitation to everyone you would like to join the network and provide them with the website address: https://indigenousclimatehub-members.ca (once they visit the website, they can select ‘Create an Account’).
    2. Setting up a dedicated Group – Once your project team and/or community members have joined the ICH Members Network, we would recommend setting up a dedicated Group for your project. Groups can be set up as Public (all ICH Network members can join), or Private (only members that you invite to the group can join). We would recommend setting up a Private group to ensure that the group members are all part of your climate change project.
    3. Use a Forum in your Group – If your engagement also includes a lot of questions posed by project members and/or community members, you can also set up a Forum for your Group. (Note: this option will automatically be available to you when you set up your Group). A Group Forum will allow questions to be posed by Group members and other group members can respond. Forums help to keep questions and answers organized in one message thread, instead of having several group posts—which can be difficult to manage or review if there are several posts.
    4. Use the Photo Album in your Group – Group Photo Albums can be an effective central place to share and store photos from your climate change project. That way project group members can all share and have access to the photos (i.e., instead of exchanging several emails).
    5. ICH Members Network Email – ICH Members Network Email can be sent exclusively using the network. For project leaders, this could be helpful for keeping all project related emails in a central place. The ICH Members Network is fully secure with website security and SSL Certificate.

Example 2: You are a climate change project manager or a Chief or Councillor of an Indigenous community (or organization) that is currently engaged in a climate change project. You would like to share your community climate change project with other Indigenous communities as it might help other communities working on similar climate change initiatives (e.g., coastal flooding, seasonal roads, fires, etc.). You are also curious to know what challenges other Indigenous communities are facing with climate change and you wonder if there could be opportunities to collaborate (or exchange knowledge) with other Indigenous communities.

  • In this scenario we would recommend:
    1. Have a great Personal Profile page – To effectively network with others on the ICH Members network, we recommend that you take the time to finish setting up your profile page. You can do that by selecting ‘Profile’ in the menu, and then selecting ‘Edit’ once you are on your Profile page. You can add your photo, header photo (*tip: check out the free stock photography on https://unsplash.com/). You can also fill out information on your profile page, such as job title and description of the climate change project you are working on. The more helpful information you provide, the more likely ICH Members will take an interest in connecting.
    2. Post often (share news, updates, etc. with the network) – The great thing about a niche online network such as the ICH Members Network is that all of our members are interested in climate change. Feel free to share relevant news, updates, stories, resources etc. by making posts regularly on the News Feed. You have the option of sharing only with ‘Connections’ or the entire network. This is a great opportunity to share with an interested and supportive online community.
    3. Join Groups on the ICH Members Network that are applicable to the type of work that you are doing (or create a new Group if you can’t find one to join). Groups are great a place to share relevant information on climate change initiatives, and to share news (including community climate change stories), and resources.
    4. Invite others to join the ICH Members Network – In order to share great information, as a collective, we need to grow our online community. We encourage you to send invitations to those that you know who are working on Indigenous community climate change projects. The easiest way to join is by visiting https://indigenousclimatehub-members.ca/ and by selecting ‘Create an Account.’

Our Members

All of our ICH Network Members are unique and have different goals and interests. What we all have in common is an interest and passion for climate change. This is not just an online network: it is a community of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit climate change knowledge holders, advisors and leaders. Even if you do not see yourself as a leader, we do. If you have taken the time to join the ICH Members Network because you want to learn, share, and connect with other like-minded people dedicated to community and knowledge building, you a welcomed member in this online community.

Example 3: You’re an Indigenous person interested in learning or sharing information relating to local, regional and national Indigenous environment and climate change news, stories, articles, resources, and traditional knowledge and would also like to network with other Indigenous peoples. The ICH Member Network is the right platform for you!  It is a great place to learn from the peoples and communities that are working together to build upon their existing traditional knowledge systems to find pathways aimed at developing effective and long-term climate change solutions. The ICH is intended to be a cultural safe community space for Indigenous peoples supporting our shared knowledge and our efforts to protect and preserve the land, water and resources that sustain us all.

  • In order to effectively network, we would recommend:
  1. Setting up a great profile page.
  2. Joining (or starting) Groups on the network, and actively posting in Groups.
  3. Frequently posting on the ICH Members Network Activity Feed.
  4. Taking the time to learn more about members on the network by visiting their profile pages, following and liking posts on the Activity Feed and in Groups, and by choosing to ‘Follow’ or ‘Connect’ with other ICH Network members with similar interests in climate change. Taking the time to read activity posts and to actively engage in conversations on the network through posting comments can also be an effective way to get noticed.
  5. Invite other like-minded Indigenous people to join the ICH Members Network (the more the merrier!).