Current Community Initiatives
Good data leads to good decisions. These surveys and initiatives give us the knowledge we need to advocate for stronger policies, better funding, and thriving Mi’kmaw communities.
Why This Matters
Every survey, every report, and every dataset tells a story—the story of our communities, our needs, and our successes. These initiatives help us preserve Mi’kmaw knowledge, strengthen self-governance, secure funding, and shape policies that reflect our realities.
When data is gathered on our terms, we can track progress, identify challenges, and make informed decisions that serve our people. Mawkim ensures that the Mi’kmaq—not external organizations—define how data is collected, interpreted, and applied.
Mawkim supports community-driven data collection, meaning any Mi’kmaw community can request a survey be held on their behalf to better understand issues, secure funding, or develop programs based on accurate, self-determined data.
Active Data Projects
Review our PDF repository of Mi’kmaw participation in large-scale studies shaping policy and funding.
[note: this section needs to be pulled out and the links below need to have "collection" context added]
Data & Survey Access
Access, explore, and utilize data collected by the Information Governance & Data Projects team. This data allows our communities to make informed and evidence based decisions for responsible community planning. Our data our helps our communities learn, grow, and improve our quality of life.
If you need any assistance accessing what you're looking for our staff are always here to help!
REGIONAL SOCIAL SURVEY (RSS)
The Regional Social Survey (RSS) focuses on understanding the well-being of First Nation’s children and caregivers living on reserve. This survey aims to gather data on social and economic indicators that will help shape programs and policies to support Mi’kmaq families. Survey collection is planned to commence in 2026.
National surveys administered by FNIGC, are reviewed and regionalized by the Mi’kmaw Research Advisory Committee (MRAC). We hosted an MRAC meeting on June 11, 2025, to regionalize the survey questions. This is the third time, the MRAC has reviewed the questions to ensure that they will reflect Mi’kmaq values.
Why this project is important:
The RSS will provide valuable data on the social determinants of health for children and caregivers, helping us understand and address the challenges faced by Mi’kmaq families. The data collected will support the development of programs and services that are tailored to the needs of our region, ensuring a better future for Mi’kmaq communities.
This website is an open and free resource to all First Nations people who wish to know more about their communities. We are proud to inform all users that the Information Governance & Data Projects only administers research projects that employ the First Nations principles of OCAP®, which are a set of standards that support First Nations to assert their inherent right to govern their information – this means how our data should be collected, protected, used, or shared.
Nothing about us, without us.
For too long, Mi’kmaw data has been collected, analyzed, and used by outside institutions—often without our consent or benefit. That ends here. Mawkim ensures that Mi’kmaw communities control their own information, protecting it and using it to strengthen our future.
This portal is more than just reports and statistics—it is a living resource for communities, fieldworkers, and decision-makers.
What Have We Learned?
We’ve learned so much about our First Nations communities since our initial pilot projects and first surveys back in 1997. After every new phase of a project, there are always major takeaways that propel us into action, either to protect our citizens, empower our self-governance, or preserve our culture. These outcomes highlight the importance of our ongoing data projects. We are dedicated to seeing this learning continues and remains firmly in the hands of our First Nation communities.
How is it Affecting NS first nations?
As we mentioned, after every new phase of a project, there are always major takeaways that propel us into action. For example, in our most recent study we found an alarming amount of our youth were suffering from suicidal thoughts in Nova Scotia. This discovery lead to the immediate creation of many youth-oriented suicide prevention resources, such as hotlines and community engagement projects that have already resulted in a lower suicide rate in our communities – saving lives and empowering our youth!
When We Own Our Data,
We Own Our Future
Would your community benefit from a survey? Reach out to Mawkim to discuss how we can help collect data on your terms, for your benefit.