Dr. Nicole Ineese Nash

Biography

Nicole Ineese-Nash is an Oji-Cree educator and researcher who focuses on Indigenous community development, mental health, wellbeing, education, and land-based practices. She is a member of the Constance Lake Nation in Treaty 9 territory and resides in Tkaronto. Nicole serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care and the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. Additionally, she is the academic coordinator for the Indigenous Child and Youth Engagement Certificate at the Chang School of Continuing Education. Nicole founded and serves as the executive director of 'Finding Our Power Together', a national non-profit organization that provides mental health resources for Indigenous communities across Canada. Her educational background includes an MA in Early Childhood Studies and a PhD in Social Justice Education, with specializations in Indigenous Health, Disability, and Education. For over a decade, she has worked directly with Indigenous youth, children, and communities, seeking research and teaching opportunities to promote Indigenous self-determination and resurgence. Her teaching responsibilities include courses focused on Indigenous Early Learning and Child and Youth Care, emphasizing advocacy and systemic approaches. Her research interests encompass Indigenous children and youth, land-based research, participatory action research, and settler-colonial social policy.

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Awards