Building a Strong Foundation for the Future
The past two years have been a productive and foundational period for the project. During this time, we have focused on building a strong research team, establishing core processes and documentation, developing meaningful relationships with Nuu-chah-nulth Nations, and designing and implementing a wide range of research tools and instruments.
In Fall 2025, we launched data collection for our serial cross-sectional health survey across Nuu-chah-nulth communities. Since then, participation has grown steadily, and as of Fall 2026, more than 1,000 community members have completed the Health Survey. This milestone reflects the commitment of participants, communities, and the work of our outstanding team of community-based researchers.
Project Name
In 2025, our team selected our community-facing name for the project: Hishuk-ish Tsawalk: Healthy Children, Healthy Futures (HCHF).
For several years, the project was commonly known as "I-HeLTI " at Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council (NTC). While I-HeLTI remains the name of the funding source, it does not fully reflect the scope and vision of our work. To honour the significance of the Nuu-chah-nulth teaching Hishuk-ish Tsawalk, meaning “Everything is One, Everything is Connected,” the team chose a name that reflects both this guiding principle and our commitment to improving the health and well-being of children, families, and communities. Healthy Children, Healthy Futures captures the overarching goals that drive our work every day.
Growing Our Reach and Capacity
To support recruitment, increase awareness, and share project updates, we have implemented a multi-channel communications strategy that includes social media, media exposure, and print material distribution across NTC departments and regions.
Our team has also expanded significantly. We now have community-based researchers working across the NTC Northern, Central, and Southern regions, ensuring strong local connections in the Nations who have partnered with us. In addition, our HCHF Data Coordinator plays a critical role in managing and supporting the growing volume of project data.
Advancing Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Over the past two years, we have developed and formalized numerous governance documents, agreements, and policies that support research excellence and Indigenous data sovereignty. These foundational resources help ensure that data are collected, managed, and used in ways that respect the rights, priorities, and self-determination of Nuu-chah-nulth Nations and communities. As of September 2026, we have research agreements with 10 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.
A key focus of this work has been embedding OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles into our governance structures and day-to-day practices. By doing so, we are working to create a research model that is both innovative and accountable to the communities we serve.
Family Study Update
In Fall 2026, we will begin recruitment for the Family Study, a perinatal cohort study designed to better understand the health and development of Nuu-chah-nulth children and families. Over the past year, the research team has worked to develop a comprehensive suite of research tools and instruments that will support data collection across pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. The study will include women and girls who are pregnant or considering pregnancy and their partners, as well as biological or adoptive mothers and fathers with children from birth to two years of age. Data collection tools include prenatal maternal and paternal surveys, anthropometric measures for parents and children, a birth questionnaire, child development assessments focused on social, emotional, communication, and motor development, the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, and the newly developed Nuu-chah-nulth Child Health Instrument. Together, these tools will provide important insights into the factors that shape early child development and family health, helping to inform programs, services, and future research that support Nuu-chah-nulth families.
