Aim of the Institute
The Grassroots Institute (TGI) aims to undertake education, capacity building, and innovative research, strengthen human development initiatives and take appropriate grassroots field action to empower students, practitioners, and local communities globally.
Organizational System
Started in 2005 as training and research institution in India, the Grassroots Institute has emerged as independent action research, academic and capacity building organization. In the year 2018, the Grassroots Institute was registered as Non-Profit Corporation in Canada. The Grassroots Institute is governed by the Directors and authenticated by International Advisory Council of various disciplines. Currently, the operation of Grassroots Institute is coordinated globally from Montreal/Vancouver (Canada).
In the future, the Grassroots Institute envisages developing it as capacity-building and education institution of excellence for evolving alternative policies, for transforming the public institutions, and for providing policy and technical assistance to governments, universities, civil society groups and people’s movements of various developing and underdeveloped countries.
Vision of the Institute
The Grassroots Institute envisions effecting positive change through participation in a world in which local communities and First Nations who have been marginalized by environmental degradation, poverty, conflict and other forms of injustice gain control over their natural and biocultural resources, lives and livelihoods, and the policy decisions that affect their lives directly or indirectly.
Objectives of the Institute
- To conduct research, studies, inquiries on the subjects/themes related to environment, natural resources, governance, policy, development and human health to galvanize the change in human society and global ecology.
- To coordinate with the various stakeholders to implement effective projects that meet needs as determined by our research.
- To provide services to Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples by providing them with culturally appropriate wellness programs, focusing on their traditions and customs or their particular cultural, spiritual or linguistic needs, and on facilitating their agriculture, water resources, bioresources, crafts, foods, etc.
- To organize and deliver trainings, consultations and capacity building activities on the issues/ themes related to development, environment, natural resources management, policy, grassroots action, social change and human health for strengthening the organizations, students, first nations and other local/ethnic communities.
- To conduct the education through structured or semi-structured training, courses, summer schools, internships, special sessions, workshops, seminars, and on-field exposure programs for the youths, working professionals, interested people and others on the issues/themes related to development, environment, natural resource management, policy, social change, human (indigenous) rights, and human health.
- To hold workshops, seminars, symposia, consultations, meetings, forums, conferences, etc. in order to promote ecological security, sustainable development, social/economic development, social justice, peace and people’s rights, and human health.
- To promote academic and practitioner linkages for information/ knowledge transfer, sharing, exchange and management in the interests of indigenous people, environment and society.
- To commission policy-oriented research, ideas, analysis, formulations and recommendations on domestic and international issues, including resulting publications, concerning environment, indigenous people, local resources, governance, biocultural rights, and allied spheres.
- To network, build alliances and make coalitions with like-minded organizations and individuals for promoting the above-mentioned objectives of the organization.
- To undertake activities proposed under each of objectives in Canada and internationally through direct operations as well as by involving intermediaries as permitted by laws of Canada.
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