Robyn Long was a FLAS Fellow for French in the 2021-22 academic year while completing her Master of Social Work. As part of the Social Work program, she completed a practicum with the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Canada office that involved supporting staff participating in the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group. Her primary project focused on researching the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Inuit communities and local responses to protecting health and well-being. In collaboration with the Inuit Circumpolar Council team this summer, Robyn is writing a paper based on these findings, entitled “Community Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Inuit Nunaat”.
The FLAS Fellowship was pivotal in enabling Robyn to broaden her studies in social work. It allowed her to study the intersection of challenges to Inuit health, well-being, and social and cultural environments, as well as Inuit led-solutions to wide-scale change. Alongside her French studies, this experience will enable her to advocate for the rights and social services of Inuit and other Indigenous communities at national and international levels.
—
The Canadian Studies Center is a recipient of a U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships program grant. The grant provides allocations of academic year and summer fellowships to assist meritorious graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and Canadian Studies. The Canadian Studies Center is extremely proud in having awarded several Fellowships in least-commonly taught Canadian Aboriginal languages including Inuktitut, Dane-zaa, Musqueam Salish, and Anishinaabemowin.