Knowledge for change: Mentorship training program

Abstract

This report documents Cohort II of the Knowledge for Change (K4C) Mentorship Training Programme, a 21-week course run by the University of Victoria and PRIA under the UNESCO Chair. It covers the programme's structure of online learning, a two-week residency, and local fieldwork and profiles the twelve mentors from hubs in India, Canada, Cuba, and Malaysia. The residency, split between UVic and Simon Fraser University, included arts-based research training, Indigenous knowledge sessions, site visits to organisations such as the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and PEERS Victoria, and a public World Cafe event on the Sustainable Development Goals. Mentor testimonials describe the training's impact on their understanding of community-based participatory research and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. The report closes with summaries of field study projects each mentor will carry out locally, spanning cultural restoration, youth engagement, gender equity, and drug policy reform.