The Co-InFEWS workshop, which was originally to take place at Diné College on the Navajo Nation’s reservation, transitioned to a virtual format.

Insufficient access to energy, water, and food infrastructure plagues the majority of Indigenous peoples worldwide, and climate change is exacerbating these challenges. While STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) interventions can yield important contributions towards sustainability of Indigenous groups, the development of these technologies too often does not consider Indigenous concerns, knowledge and values. Research has shown that participatory and culturally sensitive approaches are critical to effective and long-lasting impact on community conditions. The goal of this workshop is to articulate guidelines for researchers, students, community members and other stakeholders in participatory co-design and system thinking with Native American communities in the U.S. and Indigenous communities world-wide.

Join us to learn how institutions of higher education can collaborate with Indigenous communities on innovations at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems. The workshop provides a forum for cross-pollination of best practices, challenges and achievements. It provides the foundation for establishing a collaborative inter-institutional network for participatory innovations in FEW projects with Indigenous communities and an articulation of training guidelines for participatory action research and design methodologies.

The workshop is organized by UC Berkeley, University of Arizona, University of South Florida and Diné College. Funded by NSF #1633740. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link and code.