b'CCAB RESEARCHINDSIGHTS CASE STUDIESOne of our recent undertakings includes Indsights, aIndigenous business owners find ways to overcome collaborative project between Humber College and CCAB,challenges. However, some obstacles are systemic and led by Professor Audrey Wubbenhorst, that provides arequire collective efforts from businesses, government window into the Indigenous economy. It aims to high- and civil society.light the important role of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian economy through digital storytelling. TheUsing innovative digital storytelling, we are hoping project creates interactive online case studies to empowerto inspire and encourage future Indigenous business a diverse audience including students, academics, profes-sionals and government officials to explore and supportleaders, says CCAB president and CEO Tabatha Bull. Indigenouseconomies. And by showcasing a diverse range of businesses with unique economic structures, were demonstrating there What makes Indsights unique is its focus on Indigenousis no one-size-fits-all paradigm for Indigenous economic business case studies. By sharing stories of successsuccess. Diverse, robust sustainable Indigenous busi-and overcoming obstacles, the project aims to inspirenesses will propel economic reconciliation and the entire entrepreneurship and economic development amongCanadian economy forward. Indigenous peoples through role modelling and repre-sentation. This work follows the recommendations of theIndsights seeks to challenge perceptions of Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Commissions final report from 2015. The report emphasizes the importance of reconcili- economic prosperity and decolonize through engaging ation between Canada and Indigenous peoples throughcontent and positive stories. Through the project, 94 calls to action. Some of these calls to action focus onCanadian post-secondary students are educated on education and the inclusion of Indigenous perspectivesthe importance of Indigenous economic development in in the mainstream curriculum. To fulfil this recommenda- Canada, demonstrated through case studies, partnerships tion, it is necessary to provide educators with accessibleand illustrations of positive stakeholder engagement. and engaging content across various subjects.Operating on three pillarscelebration, education, andIndsights is about developing content that teachers actionIndsights celebrates Indigenous business excel- and professors can integrate into their courses, curricu-lence, educates on Indigenous economies, and empowerslums and classrooms, says Wubbenhorst, a professor at individuals to connect with Indigenous businesses. Humber College and principal investigator with Indsights. Its important for learners to see Indigenous businesses Since 2020, Indsights has conducted qualitative inter- thriving across the country and hear their stories. Were views with Indigenous business owners to gather insights.incredibly thankful to our participants for sharing their These insights are transformed into engaging multimediatime and stories for the benefit of future generations.case studies, co-created with input from the entrepre-neurs themselves. The project intends to generate moreCorey Mattie and Houston Barnaby, case study partici-than 15 case studies in total, including videos, writtenpants, are the founders of Indigenous Treaty Partners, an components and teaching notes.Indigenous-owned and operated cultural training and After the projects completion in 2024, the case studiesconsulting service for organizations of all sizes. Their and insights will be accessible for free as resourcesmission is to Indigenize corporate Canada by delivering to foster connections, and inspire and inform futurethe highest quality Indigenous consulting services. One entrepreneurial journeys. Utilizing these resources canof the considerations that weve always taken very seri-help educators compile a library of relevant materialously is what it means to be Indigenous in the 21st century. for their curriculums and classrooms. The portfolio willWe didnt just want to be Indigenous people who own cover various Indigenous businesses, from small privatea business; we wanted to be an Indigenous business, enterprises to economic development corporations andsays Barnaby. That meant bringing our principles that industry partnerships. our peoples have always had for thousands of years into Indigenous entrepreneurs frequently recount their earlythe modern day.stages, including the challenges they faced and the support they needed to build their businesses. DespiteTo learn more about CCAB research projects visit https://barriers such as limited resources and networks, culturalwww.ccab.com/research/ To learn more aboutIndsights, and language differences and government policies,visit the project website indsights.ca.52A CCAB PUBLICATION2023'