A range of groups including the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), the Royal Canadian Legion and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) have teamed up as part of the Burns Way initiative. The initiative will seek to connect Indigenous veterans with supports. In order to do this, the Trycycle Data Systems designed Talking Stick and TetherAll Apps will be used to connect veterans in need with supports.
John MacBeth, founder and CEO of Trycycle Data Systems told MBC Radio News the initiative will build on technology which is already in place.
“The Burns Way is a model, it’s an idea, we’re using technology that we have already deployed throughout Saskatchewan, in an exclusive Indigenous environment,” he said.
MacBeth explained while the two applications are both aimed at helping people with their wellness, they serve different purposes. TetherAll is used mainly by various health practitioners and their clients to keep connected. Meanwhile the Talking Stick App connects people looking for emotional support and offers services in 10 Indigenous languages. MacBeth said given that both apps have been successful in connecting with Indigenous people, the idea of expanding their services was not a hard ask.
“It wouldn’t be terribly difficult for us to re-imagine how they might be calibrated to serve an exclusive veteran environment,” he said.
When the new initiative gets up and going, MacBeth said the hope is it will help Indigenous veterans who are in need and might be hesitant about accessing supports. He added many veterans find navigating the current support system frustrating and that the Burns Way Initiative will also see veterans helping veterans.
To read the full story visit: https://www.mbcradio.com/2023/08/new-initiative-looks-to-connect-indigenous-veterans-with-supports by Michael Joel-Hansen