Work 2 Give: Fostering Collective Citizenship through Artistic and Healing Spaces for Indigenous Inmates and Communities in British Columbia

Work 2 Give: Fostering Collective Citizenship through Artistic and Healing Spaces for Indigenous Inmates and Communities in British Columbia

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Helen Brown & Kelsey Timler
Published in: BC Studies in July 2019

Therapeutic arts and crafts, as healing modalities, exist within specific historic and contemporary contexts. We examine the positioning of social citizenship for incarcerated Aboriginal men in BC prisons who participate in a prison employment and hobby program, where they create art objects that are donated to Aboriginal communities. Click to read an accessible summary of this academic paper

Growing Connection Beyond Prison Walls: How A Prison Garden Fosters Rehabilitation And Healing For Incarcerated Men

Growing Connection Beyond Prison Walls: How A Prison Garden Fosters Rehabilitation And Healing For Incarcerated Men

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Kelsey Timler, Helen Brown, & Colleen Varcoe
Publication Date: 18 June 2019
Journal: Offender Rehabilitation

Evidence suggests that correctional agriculture and gardening bolster physical, social and mental health benefits, as well as impacts on inmate rehabilitation and recidivism. We outline the positive impacts associated with the planting, harvesting of food, as well as the benefit associated with the donation of food to local communities and discuss implications for correctional research and programming.

Photo of a forest with many trees standing tall together and lush greenery

Growing Beyond Nutrition: How a Prison Garden Program Highlights the Potential of Shifting from Food Security to Food Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Kelsey Timler, Colleen Varcoe, & Helen Brown
Publication Date: 9 August 2019
Journal: International Journal of Indigenous Health

The study findings signal the limitations of programs and research that focus solely on food security for Indigenous peoples, and outlines how accounting for the colonial context can emphasize the critical role of Indigenous values, community strengths, and priorities for fostering food sovereignty and health.

Silhouette of a branch in the foreground with grey skies and a mountain in the bacground

The Prison Garden as Artistic Boundary Object: Fostering Food Sovereignty and Social Citizenship for Indigenous People in British Columbia

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Kelsey Timler & Helen Brown
Publication Date: 16 July 2019
Journal: BC Studies

Using a garden program case study, we outline how food production and imperial notions of productive citizenship impact Aboriginal wellbeing within and outside of prison contexts, and how the garden - as an aesthetic and sensory boundary object - allows for discussions of foodways, rights, and sovereignty across colonial Canada.

“Healing on Both Sides”: Strengthening the Effectiveness of Prison–Indigenous Community Partnerships Through Reciprocity and Investment

“Healing on Both Sides”: Strengthening the Effectiveness of Prison–Indigenous Community Partnerships Through Reciprocity and Investment

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Colleen Varcoe, Helen Brown, Kelsey Timler, Melissa Taylor & Elizabeth Straus
Publication Date: 05 October 2020
Journal: International Indigenous Policy Journal

This mixed methods study examined the impact of a prison–community partnership, entitled Work 2 Give. Findings suggest that the program positively affected the men’s identities and provided opportunities for communities to help incarcerated men to heal.

A branch of a tree densely covered in luscious green moss

Supporting people leaving prisons during COVID-19: perspectives from peer health mentors

May 3, 2021Posted inTeam Publications

Authors: Katherine E. McLeod, Kelsey Timler, Mo Korchinski, Pamela Young, Tammy Milkovich, Cheri McBride, Glenn Young, William Wardell, Lara-Lisa Condello, Jane A. Buxton, Patricia A. Janssen, Ruth Elwood Martin
Publication Date: 17 February 2021
Journal: International Journal of Prisoner Health

The authors conducted focus groups with The Unlocking the Gates Peer Health Mentoring Program to learn from peer health mentors about changes to their work during overlapping health emergencies, as well as barriers and opportunities to support people leaving prison.