Guiding Engineering Work with Social Context Assignment

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Mechanical Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 Guiding Engineering Work with Social Context Assignment Introduction In the lecture, we discussed the necessity of values and beliefs on a personal, communal and professional level. These values and beliefs were shown to vary from place to place. Personal values influence our engineering work, and our own values may be in conflict with the beneficiaries of our engineering project. So, engineers should become familiarized with the process of identifying values, beliefs and priorities. In this assignment, you will identify and discuss some of your own values and priorities in a self- reflection section. Then, you will become familiar with the values of an Indigenous community in BC and begin to outline a community-engaged methodology for your design project. You will develop a knowledge strategy document to summarize your approach to understanding the values of Indigenous people affected by your engineering work. Assignment Deliverable The deliverable for this assignment is a single PDF document containing your responses to the self-reflection section below and your knowledge strategy , to be submitted via Canvas. Self-Reflection: 1. Consider the value scales i), ii) and iii) below. Mark a symbol along the each of the sliding scales, with proximity to one side denoting increased importance to that value or trait: a) What value is more important to you? Please mark the importance with an x b) What value do you believe is more important to the people in the community (town or city) where you grew up? Please mark the importance with a circle c) What value do you believe is more important to professional engineers in British Columbia? Please mark the importance with a triangle

Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 2. Answer the following questions, each in three sentences or less: a) Is a particular value priority universally self-evident? For example, can you empirically justify valuing community over education? There is going to be no “ black and white ” answer to this question, the answer would be a “greyer” area. Assigning an empirical value to something along the lines of valuing community over education will differ from group to group, or even person to person. It depends on a variety of factors such as context, circumstances, and what time-period is being examined. b) H ave you ever experienced “culture shock” when integrating into a group with different values? How was the transition? For example, during integration into UBC’s academic culture. The biggest culture shock I experienced was transitioning from living in smaller communities that were predominately White or First Nations to a diverse city. While living in smaller communities, the values and beliefs within the community were homogeneous; however, moving to a big city, I got to witness a variety of cultures, values, and backgrounds. c) How can an engineer understand and incorporate appropriate local values in their work? As an engineer, understanding local values is highly important to design solutions that work for the community. The best way to incorporate local values is by engaging with community stakeholders throughout the design process to ensure that the final solution being implemented is appropriate. Individuals from the community should be involved not only in the information gathering step, but throughout each and every major decision. Knowledge Strategy Writing Draft a 3-page (12 pt. font, double-spaced) knowledge strategy for an Indigenous communitylocal to your design project. You may wish to use native-land.ca to find an initial list of communities in a general geographic area. Compilation of the information in your knowledgestrategy will provide you with the baseline understanding of community necessary to begin respectful engagement. The knowledge strategy will include the following sections: i) Purpose : What would you want to achieve with the people or communities you would plan to engage? ii) Preparations : What would your group need to do in order to get ready for an engagement and relationship with the local Indigenous community? What group valueswould be important to highlight and discuss during your first meeting with the community? iii) Research : Acquire some background knowledge of three features of the community,such as a. Community History b. Community Profiles & Statistics c. Traditional activities (fishing, hunting and gathering) d. Spiritual practices

Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 e. Governance (tribal affiliations, hereditary leaders, band council) f. Community priorities g. Ways of knowing iv) Knowledge gaps : Prepare at least five questions to ask a community representative,to strengthen a. Intercultural dialogue and engagement b. Understanding of social context including understanding the community’s valuesand ways of conducting business c. Your group’s ability to design while considering social impact d.

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Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 Purpose As an engineer working with local communities in the Salt Spring Islands to implement a dewatering system, the most important parameter would be trust. Building a trusting relationship with local stakeholders and rights holders is crucial for the success of any engineering project. If the trust is not there, then the outcome of the project will not meet the needs of the community. Trust is built on several principles such as proper communication, transparency, and using local inputs throughout the design process. Communication is an integral part of any project, having proper communication with community members helps to keep everyone in the loop. It is much easier to engage with stakeholders when the stakeholders are properly informed of everything that is happening with the project. Communication builds upon the idea of having total transparency with community members. Project progress should be shared with stakeholders, even if the progression is happening negatively. Being upfront with stakeholders with regards to project delays is better than keeping them uninformed. Sharing the negative aspects of a project builds trust, if individuals discover this through different sources other than the engineering team, they will have a lack of trust. Transparency ties in with using stakeholder and rights holder inputs throughout the project. If one communicates and is transparent, integrating inputs into the project will be easier, because the inputs will be of much higher quality. Usually, right holder inputs are not integrated because they are not kept well informed of project decisions and setbacks; therefore, they cannot suggest ways to mitigate these issues. Preparation In order to effectively engage with local communities properly, engineers should start with some background research of the community. Websites such as native-lands.ca gives engineers great insights into the various First Nations communities living in an area. It provides resources to help engineers have

Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 some clue of the traditions and ways of knowing of these communities. The next step would be to meet with local community leaders. Local community leaders often have insights into the best ways to approach members of their communities. There may be certain values and traditions that websites do not cover that are particular to the specific community. Furthermore, introducing oneself to the local leaders will help to foster good relations between the community and engineering team, which will be vital for the project ahead. One approach to engaging with the rest of the community will be to have a local townhall where members of the community can share their ideas and concerns regarding the project. For those who cannot attend, information with regards to the project can be mailed to everyone within the community, so they can voice their concerns online. Research With a population of about 11 635 residents, the community of Salt Springs Island is a moderately small community. The average age of the residents is 56.4 years, which leans towards the community having a predominately elderly make up. Average household income within the community is approximately $34 000. The main First Nations communities in the region are comprised of: Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Quw’utsu n, Stz’uminu s, and Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla. The make up of governance in these communities consists of a Legislature featuring elected members and a chief. For example, in the Tsawwassen community, the Tsawwassen Legislature consists of 13 elected members and 1 chief. Communal hunting and fishing is regulated by the Fisheries, Migratory Birds and Renewable Resources Act (2009), and grants licenses to members within the community. Once community members have

Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 these licenses they can fish, hunt, and harvest aquatic plants. The primary food source in the community is fish based, featuring an emphasis on salmon, sturgeon, crab, and eulachon. A lot of communities on the island have built economies surrounding the harvest of salmon in the region. The traditional method of catching fish is through reef net fishing. In the past, the communities had a trader and barter system and specialized services such as resource processing. The longhouse culture played a vital role within the communities, providing a place to conduct their practices and ceremonies that dealt with governance. Longhouses also played a role in the redistribution of wealth, in order to ensure every member of the community thrived. Knowledge Gaps 1. What are the values within the community (cultural heritage, traditions, etc)? 2. How should the engineer team engage community members, what is the best strategy? 3. What are some parts of the island that community members hold the utmost values to? 4. Are there any local customs that the engineering team should be aware of before engaging with community members? 5. What makes up the day of a community member (average day)?

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Harshvardhan Shaw 74279266 01/22/2024 Useful Research Resources The following links may be useful to begin your research: Treaty Information: Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Information System First Nations Profiles: First Nation Profiles Interactive Map Indigenous Self-Government: Self-Government Overview Territory maps according to Indigenous nations themselves: Native Land Indigenous Languages Dictionary: First Voices Engagement Process: Canadian Construction Association Indigenous Engagement Guide Indigenous Businesses in Canada: Indigenous Business Guide These resources should be supplemented with community-specific sources as well, such as community websites and colleagues who have worked with or consulted with communities in the area.