Wise Practices in Indigenous Entrepreneurship Education

In partnership with Tribal Resource Investment Corporation (TRICORP), the University of Victoria (UVic) Gustavson School of Business co-created and designed the Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs (ACE) program. The ACE program provides entrepreneurial training, mentorship and coaching for members of First Nations communities, governments and financial institutions in their home communities. While the ACE program has made tremendous effort to weave Indigenous ways of knowing with “mainstream” entrepreneurship, past and present ACE students have continuously asked for more culturally relevant approaches to business and entrepreneurial education in Indigenous communities. This proposed research will seek to improve the curriculum of the ACE program by further exploring entrepreneurial business education through a wise practice lens. “Wise practices” are locally and culturally appropriate practices and principles (Wesley-Esquimaux & Calliou, 2010). The proposed research project would use the ACE program to identify the “wise practices” for business and entrepreneurial education and measure how it affects student outcomes, success, and learning using participatory action research (PAR) and other culturally appropriate qualitative methods.

Faculty Supervisor:

Brent Mainprize

Student:

Magnolia Perron

Partner:

Tribal Resources Investment Corporation

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

University:

University of Victoria