Joyce’s Principle demands that all Indigenous people have an equal right to the highest standard of physical and mental health. It says the government must recognize Indigenous rights to autonomy and self-determination in matters of health and social services.
GAIHN has created a space within the ISoN for Students groups working on Social Justice issues to come together and synergize. GAIHN has engaged in various advocacy and service initiatives over the years. Each year we select an advocacy theme to focus on. GAIHN also provides funding, guidance and assisting with networking and locating speakers for various events. Two of the student groups predominantly engage in advocacy and service are Nurses for Healthy Policy (MNHP), & McGill Nurses for Community Service (MNCS). You can find out more below:
Advocacy
-McGill Nurses for Healthy Policy
GAIHN collaborates with and supports McGill Nurses for Healthy Policy (MNHP). This student-led group focuses on including social justice and equity issues at the policy level. They have held numerous events throughout the year and partner with the Quebec Nursing Association to promote various health policies. These activities included a panel discussion on “Healthcare in Crisis: Nurses Mobilize for Change!”. This event was held in English, at McGill, then in French, at Université de Montréal.
In fall of 2018, the event "Plénière: politique, santé et élections" focused on nursing's voice in the provincial elections, and included a panel discussion on the interplay between politics, health and the elections. Another panel discussion titled “Establishing Healthy Work Environments through Nursing Leadership & Political Action: A Discussion and Roundtable Workshop” was held in January of 2019. In the fall of 2019, MNHP actively engaged with the worldwide environmental movement by organizing a nursing student contingent at the September 27th protest and day of climate action in Montreal.
You can view MNHP Terms of Reference here: 
mnhp_terms_of_reference_.docx
-Yearly Advocacy Themes
Each year GAIHN has chosen an Advocacy theme ranging from mental health, Refugee health, TRC, Indigenous ways of knowing, and Climate change. Numerous speaker events have been planned to help promote the ongoing education of faculty, students, alumni and wider McGill community. Some of these events raised funds for local Community Not for profit organizations such as Action Refugee, The Native Friendship Centre of Montreal, and First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada. You can review the themes by year, as well as relevant supporting documents below:
| 2014/2015 | Supporting West African Nurses in Their Fight Against Ebola - ebola_position_statement.docx |
| 2015/2016 | Forced Migration: Opening the Doors to Refugees - action_refugee_letter_jodis_changes_2016-05-11.docx |
| 2016/2017 | Truth and Reconciliation -  trc_positionstatement_.pdf |
| 2017/2018 | Culture & Mental Health |
| 2018/2019 | Indigenous Knowledge |
| 2019/2020 | Climate Action |
| 2020/2021 | Systemic Racism - Systemic Racism Position Statement & systemic_racism.docx |
-Coalition of Health Professionals to Support Joyces Principle (UNIES POUR JOYCE)
-Collaboration with Quebec Nurses Association (AQII Nurses)
Service
-McGill Nurses for Community Service
This student group focuses on including community engagement and social justice issues. The group holds numerous events throughout the year to support underserved groups and offer training sessions for nursing students on harm reduction strategies. Their primary goals are to provide support through collaborative partnerships with students and local organizations. They want to raise awareness in the student community about social issues and offer chances to volunteer and learn through hands-on experience. They have organized clothing drives for a women’s shelter and a Harm Reduction training session which focused on Naloxone training. They planned to work alongside the McGill Special Olympics team for their Special Olympics Unified Tournament to provide education and resources to help improve the athletes’ performance and overall health.
You can view MNCS Terms of Reference here: mncs_terms_of_reference_.pdf
-Eagle Spirit Camp
GAIHN has also collaborates with the Indigenous Health Professions program (IHPP) to promote diversity in the student body including running a Nursing focused simulation session at the annual Eagle Spirit Science Futures camp. During the Eagle Spirit Camp, student facilitators assisted the youth in strength-based nursing assessments, taking blood pressures, drawing blood, listening to heart and lung sounds and learning to test reflexes. This pipeline program is a key strategy for attracting more Indigenous students to the health professions.
-Warm Sock Campaign
A collaboration between Global Health and Community Service where members organize a clothing drive for lightly used winter clothing to donate to local shelters!
-Nurse Led Clinic
McGill's nurse led clinic was established in September 2017, in partnership with Accueil Bonneau, a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. The Accueil Bonneau clinic assists our partner's clientele who would otherwise not have access to health care. This clinic also allows us to train our students and optimize the skills of our teachers.The Accueil Bonneau has been collaborating with the ISoN for six years now, in the context of the course entitled "Community Health Nursing Project".
Although the pre-existing structure and relationship facilitated the establishment of the clinic, the ISoN was chosen for its excellence in health promotion and primary prevention projects as well as its ability to provide care to residents with the help of our students and available resources. You can read more about the clinic here! (Currently only available in French) Nurse Led Clinic
-Translation Support
Support for graduate and undergraduate students for non official languages. Contact GAIHN Co-Chairs for more information.