Calling All Nurses
As newly retired nurses, we continue our passion for helping the public understand the scope, challenges, and rewards of contemporary nursing practice, using the lived experiences of point of care nurses. In Season 1 we spoke with nurses making change with challenges of social concern, such as Indigenous health, the toxic drug poisoning crisis, planetary health, public health and the pandemic, and challenges in acute care.
In Season 2, we are speaking with nurses in positions of influence provincially, in B.C., nationally, in Canada, and internationally. Season 2 is available now!
Calling All Nurses
Calling All Nurses - S3, Episode 4 - Evelyn Voyager, Paul Willie and Joanna Fraser: Deconstructing Systemic Racism through Collaboration in the Learning Our Way Project
The Learning Our Way project aims to address systemic racism and promote health equity for Indigenous peoples through field schools led by Indigenous Knowledge Holders. This three-year project, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is a partnership between, Wuikinuxv, Kwakiutl, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’, Dzawada̱ a̱ʼenux̱ x̱w communities and North Island College.
Evelyn and Joanna are nurse researchers for the Learning Our Way project and Paul Willie acted as a Project Advisor. Evelyn and Paul are both of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation, of the Dzawada̱ a̱ʼenux̱ x̱w tribe and both acted as Indigenous Knowledge Keepers for the project. Evelyn is an Elder in Residence at North Island College and Joanna has spent most of her career working with and advocating for health equity for Indigenous people.
This podcast includes only the voices of Evelyn and Joanna because Paul passed away on April 20, 2025, before we had a chance to record his perspectives. Paul was a treasured Noxsola (wise one), generously sharing his cultural knowledge, life lessons and philosophical insights, particularly in his contributions to the Learning Our Way project.
Since the first field school was offered in 2007 Paul has helped all of those involved to understand, challenge and change our colonial mindsets. His teachings include reminding us that “there are two laws we all must live by: to look after the environment and to look after each other. There are two tasks this requires: to let go of fear and to practice unconditional love” ( Paul Willie 2022).
Paul generously shared his traditional knowledge stating: “We have chosen to experience our physicality in these times, to evolve by our experience, the evolution of our spiritual beingness. We must always come from a learning mindset. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. He explained that the “importance of programs like Learning Our Way is that when we learn about others, we learn about ourselves,” (Paul Willie, 2023).
Joanna expresses her deep gratitude for having had the opportunity to learn from Paul and how his teachings have helped her to live a deeper, more meaningful life, not only as a nurse and educator but humbly as a person. G̱̱ilakas'la, Paul (Joanna Fraser, May 2025).
During his funeral service at T'saxis Gukwdzi, Paul's decades of work towards improving the healthcare system for Indigenous peoples was proudly emphasized along with his contributions to field schools, Learning Our Way and his consultation work with North Island College.
Even though his voice is not included in this podcast his work and spirit are all through it.
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