NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area

Tags: social sciences, wellness, petroleum industry, research training

Objective(s): The purpose of this project is to partner with the community of Radili'ko and facilitate the training of youth researchers through a process of participatory video to learn with community members about the concerns and impacts of climate change and oil and gas development on well-being in the community.

Project Description: This phase of the project partners with the community of Radili’ko and facilitates the training of youth researchers through a process of participatory video to learn with community members about the concerns and impacts of climate change and oil and gas development on well-being in the community. With the university researcher, the community will form a research team to guide the project. The research methods of this project will be evolving with the collective efforts of the community research team. All participants will be informed about the objectives/design of the research at the start of activities, and consent for research will be obtained from acknowledged community officials and community members before research arrives. The research team will work through a process of participatory video – learning video skills through games and exercises designed to build teamwork, interview, story-telling and video skills. The research team will plan a video project around questions, issues and stories directed by the group around the topics of climate change, oil and gas development and well being in Radili’ko through youth-lead focus groups. The research team will produce a DVD to be shown to the community, and lead a community discussion about responses and further activities that the community feels would be beneficial around the issues of climate change, oil and gas development and sustainable community energy planning. Data will be collected by the research team through interviews, focus groups, over tea and fire with whoever is interested in the themes and topics decided upon by the team in the initial meetings. Semi-Structured interviews with community members and participant observation will also be used. A field journal will be kept, as well as a group video journal with the community research team. The project will be evaluated with a team meeting and questionnaire designed by the research team. One male and one female Elder will act as guides through the research process. Copies of the DVD will be left in the Fort Good Hope Cultural Institute, and with all participants and researchers. Youth from all project communities will have the opportunity to collaborate on the creation of a longer film project that combines footage from all project communities, as well as participate in the formation of an online teaching-tool and web portal Our Land, Our Life, Our Future were communities can share information and contribute to a growing data-base about culture, community, climate change and oil and gas development. All non-film interviews will be transcribed and returned to participants for verification. Follow-up workshops will happen with the community research team and participants will be given drafts of the overall project to comment upon. Results will be shared with the community, regions at regional assemblies with youth presenting, with leaders, policy makers and schools. A draft of the final PhD will be presented to the community for review, as well as a final and plain language document will be filed with the community upon completion, as well as on the web-portal/site. Final copies of the thesis/video will be left with the community and region. Fieldwork will be conducted from November 11 to December 31, 2007 within the municipal boundaries of Radili'ko (Fort Good Hope).