NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, storytelling

Objective(s): To address and counter the history of researchers and journalists taking Indigenous stories and knowledge away from communities.

Project Description: The research team hope to address and counter the history of researchers and journalists taking Indigenous stories and knowledge away from communities. Instead, the team hope to work in a good way to create, edit, and share stories that are meaningful to participants and their communities, and that counter harmful stereotypes. To do this, the team will develop and reflect on a strategy for collaborative storytelling. This will be used to create a resource for communities to use and to educate future researchers and journalists. The research team will develop a community advisory board to oversee the project and help to ensure that protocols align with community priorities, values, and needs. The team are also in the process of establishing permission to work with Yellowknife. We have reached out to leaders from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and are also working to establish trust and partnership. We will provide updates on permissions. Eight potential storytellers will be recruited in Yellowknife to participate in this project. Interested people will talk to members of the project team and ask questions, and will be encouraged to speak with their close friends or families, before deciding whether or not to participate. Storytellers will be asked to provide written consent using the form attached. Consent will be an ongoing process, and storytellers will have time to change their minds and leave the project if they become uncomfortable. The team will work with the storyteller to discuss their goals for their stories. The team and storyteller will then work together to create a filming and editing protocol to meet their needs and creative visions. Storytellers will decide what they want to talk about, and what/who will be seen in their story, and where they want to film. The project team will then establish additional permissions if needed. For example, if the storyteller wants to film at their family's home, the team will follow up with family members to make sure everyone is comfortable with this decision. During the editing phase, the research team will personalize an editing strategy for each video, and present a rough draft to each storyteller. The draft will be reviewed with each storyteller and collect their feedback (e.g., what they like, what they want to change). This feedback will be used to create a new draft. This process of editing and reviewing drafts will continue until storytellers are happy with their story and give permission for the story to be finalized. During the editing phase, the team will also check in with each participant to re-negotiate consent and gather feedback on the process of participating in this project to make changes to the project protocol and reflect on in the final report and in her PhD work. Once the storytellers approve their finished pieces, the team will organize a screening event in Yellowknife. The event will celebrate the stories and gather feedback from the community about the project. Drafts will be created of the community report and any other writing (e.g., journal article) to present to the community advisory board and storytellers. They will be able to see what is being written about the project, provide feedback, and/or become a co-author on a piece by contributing their own ideas. All feedback and contributions will be welcomed, and appropriate credit will be arranged. The team will also upload stories to the interactive website and circulate a final report for the community. This project is based on meaningful involvement of local community members. Our protocol is based on a partnership with Yellowknife residents who are a part of our Community Advisory Board. The research team hope to expand the advisory board and partnership as the project progresses, creating opportunities for local decision-making and leadership in research. Local residents will be invited to a community screening event at the end of this project. The event will celebrate and screen the finished stories. Audience members will be invited to share their feedback and help to determine next steps. Their input will be used to reflect on the project and create a useful community resource that shares the learning and strategies used in this work. This resource could be used in education or community organizations to inform future research projects or policy. Advisory board members and storytellers will be included in the creation of the report and any other outputs to ensure accountability meaningful credit. Stories will also be shared on an interactive website. Viewers can see stories, and share their own stories, artworks, poems, reflections, or music. The team hope that this platform will contribute to important conversations in Yellowknife and the NWT as well as more broadly in Canada. Results from this project will be communicated to individuals and communities in the NWT on an ongoing basis. The research team have received interest from different radio broadcasters in Yellowknife who have invited members of the project team to talk about their work. Radio interviews will be used to maintain transparency, communicate findings, and invite input from listeners. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.