Alumni Help Braid Together Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to Build Something Bigger

Natural ecosystems are replete with mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships. How an organism finds and fills a unique niche in a way that enriches both species is always amazing to observe and adds to the variety and beauty of life.

Similarly, Shared Value Solutions (SVS), a human environment consulting firm based in Guelph, Ontario has developed a special, mutually beneficial relationship with the University of Guelph.

SVS specializes in helping Indigenous communities navigate development projects and reach their environmental and development goals. Its founders, themselves U of G alumni, are keen to see Indigenous voices heard within the realm of conservation. They have recently made a donation towards the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences Graduate Excellence Scholarship – a scholarship that gives financial aid to Indigenous graduate students. This year, two of the recipients of this scholarship have undertaken studies in the Masters of Conservation Leadership program housed in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics.

“Our goal is to be part of the funnel ­– to help students from these Indigenous nations that we are working with to gain the knowledge and expertise needed to hit the ground running, all with the goal of true capacity building whereby nations can protect and further their own rights and interests. Really, we’d like to work ourselves out of a job,” said Laura Taylor, managing partner at SVS.

SVS has in turn benefited from their relationship with U of G. Many of their current employees are University of Guelph graduates and just under 20 percent identify as Indigenous. With the internal intention of Indigenous hiring and retention, they would like to see that number grow.

“Our ultimate goal as a company is to be Indigenous owned,” said Jeremy Shute, senior consultant and chief social impact officer at SVS. “So we really encourage First Nation students to pursue an education in environmental conservation.

As their name suggests, the staff at Shared Value Solutions are on a mission to decolonize research and planning, to braid together Indigenous knowledge and western science to build something bigger.

“When helping our clients, it is not a matter of us being the experts. It is a two-way street,” said Shute. “We are learning from our clients, from their knowledge and experience. The more we learn and the better relationships we build, the more we are able to do for our clients.

With this in mind, SVS is also looking to construct a long-term relationship between the University of Guelph and one of their clients, Shawanaga First Nation – a partnership where research initiatives would be co-designed with Shawanaga peoples to include Anishinaabe perspectives. There would be opportunities for Shawanaga students to go to U of G and potentially an annual research camp in the new Shawanaga Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) that Shared Value Solutions is helping develop.

“We are excited about our relationship with the University and are happy to see where can build on it,” said Shute.