BC First Nations Governments have called for and are now preparing for the implementation of a national First Nations Data Governance Strategy (FNDGS), which includes the formation of a Data Centre to serve BC First Nations Governments. This summer knowledge-sharing series, organized by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) and the BC First Nations Data Governance Initiative (BCFNDGI), was held to begin assisting BC First Nations Governments in building capacity in data governance and information management. Data governance and information management experts presented and shared resources during these interactive sessions.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty and DRIPA: Asserting Data and Intellectual Property Ownership - August 4, 2021

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) acknowledges that Indigenous peoples have rights related to intellectual property and identity. This session provided participants with practical examples of how First Nations Governments could assert ownership over their Nation's intellectual property (i.e. language, stories, songs, practices, etc.) and identity.

Data Governance: Government to Government Data Quality and Sharing Agreements - August 17, 2021

BC has a great diversity of First Nations cultures with 34 living languages and many dialects associated with the Indigenous Nations that hold rights in BC. During this session, participants explored the concept of Quality Data from various First Nations worldviews, and they reviewed a preliminary draft of a First Nations Government developed Data Quality and Sharing Agreement template.

Data and Information Management: Policies and Procedures to Manage and Protect Data - September 1, 2021

First Nations Governments create and receive massive amounts of data in the form of documents, studies, and correspondence. To govern the management of these resources, policies and procedures need to be in place to manage resources and their creation, retention, storage, sharing, and analysis. During this session, a Data Governance Framework and Policy Manual for First Nations Governments was shared with participants, as was a variety of other records and information management resources.