NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, Dehcho Region, North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, community development, indigenous communities, industrial partnerships

Objective(s): To explore how leaders collaborate and build successful Indigenous and Industrial Partnerships in the NWT to help Indigenous communities outside of NWT . To explore the following sub-research questions: 1. Which practices are organizations currently using to build industrial and collaborative relationships with their Indigenous partners? 2. What opportunities are present to enhance collaborative partnerships between indigenous communities and industry? 3. What are some prominent successes the selected participants see as beneficial to others related to IBA’s?

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5526. Objectives: To explore how leaders collaborate and build successful Indigenous and Industrial Partnerships in the NWT to help Indigenous communities outside of NWT . To explore the following sub-research questions: 1. Which practices are organizations currently using to build industrial and collaborative relationships with their Indigenous partners? 2. What opportunities are present to enhance collaborative partnerships between indigenous communities and industry? 3. What are some prominent successes the selected participants see as beneficial to others related to IBA’s? The action-oriented engagement methodology will be used, which includes collaborative or individual research. Focus on action-oriented research is to contribute to the knowledge and expertise of the participants to the local Indigenous communities. This Capstone project works well with collaborative research because more than one person will be involved in the implementation of the project. The joint research will involve industry stakeholders and members of Indigenous communities. The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology will be used to ask the participants about their experiences, perception, and views, which will work to collect data on the current practices. Using the AI methodology, the data collected would produce the required future potential opportunities and improve the current practices of institutions limiting Indigenous peoples' participation. Under the ELP, two core engagement methods will be applied, a survey and Tea with Aunty/Uncle. All participation methods will ensure data collection and knowledge building to produce a meaningful capstone final project. In the initial steps of initiating this research, the researcher will be responsible for establishing a participant group with relevant experience, as this will be a stepping stone to supporting the research questions on collaboration and building successful relationships. The research introduction will be shared through email, telephone conversations, word of mouth introductions and social media platforms LinkedIn and Facebook. Current Indigenous and industrial network connections will be relied upon to initiate contact and share the research introduction. Network connections include community leaders who are elected leaders for their communities and can give permission to engage as well as begin the engagement process of introduction to the community members who are unfamiliar with the researcher.. Researcher’s connections within the communities of people will also be welcomed to participate. This is important as there are specific cultural ways of approach that must be honored in working within Indigenous communities. The participants will include young society members over the age of 19 years, elders, and community members with experience working in the agreements, and industry leaders who have worked with IBA community engagement, creation, negotiation, and/or agreement maintenance. The researcher will select participants from the above-mentioned networks to collect meaningful data. Methods for selecting the participants include, word of mouth, community contacts and industry contacts via email or social media platforms and direct contact to identify interested participants that fit the criteria, prepare a participant list inclusive of their availability, age group, job title, and IBA experience to make the process more flexible and convenient for the researcher and the participant. Involvement of Others in Engaged, Action-Oriented Change Projects, and Their Benefits To explore the ELP topic, the researcher has engaged with a research partner James A. Heron, who is a sole proprietor consultant who works with IBAs and their negotiation directly as the research is of interest to his practice. He is also a respected Metis Elder Indigenous to the north. This is important to to the research in a former role in industry worked within IBA contracts, execution, and service delivery, so it is appreciated to have a research partner that is supportive of the research. It is the hope that the research performed will inform this partner and assist the research in future endeavours in rejoining Industrial practice in the supply chain, all dependent on building successful relationships in Indigenous and Industrial partnership. The inquiry team that has been selected is inclusive of three respected cohort members, two of whom are Indigenous and one is working with the Indigenous community. It will be beneficial to have the support of persons directly involved in Indigenous research as my inquiry team as they are best suited for discussing the research with them. The inquiry team will provide feedforward ideas, suggestions, and feedback, as well as insights that I, as an impartial reviewer, may need to recognize. Upon request, third-party interpreters from GNWT list of recognized interpreters (https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/interpreter-translator-list) for persons who identify as having language barriers to ensure that the communications are accurate and understood, will be utilized. These interpreters will be sourced from the GNWT list of interpreters available if required, and they will be asked to review the confidentiality and invitation articles and provide consent to be considered for the project. The study's target population will include but is not limited to community members; youth aged 19 years and older, elders and hereditary chiefs, and industry leaders. Therefore, it is imperative to use Indigenous leaders with experience in IBAs, partnerships, and collaborations to learn more about the background issue to tackle the current or future challenges, barriers, and concerns. Opinions and perceptions will be collected, to define future directions and guidelines to support the Indigenous peoples in the future. Incorporating cultural leadership will increase ownership and focus of the findings due to being committed to respecting the Indigenous culture and their decisions. Community members will be involved in this ELP research. The involvement of others in the change process is an essential step in capstone research. Disciplinary gaps and cross-discipline conflicts will not only be discussed positively but will also be resolved. Stakeholders will participate in the research process for data and information collection, which is essential for developing theories and hypotheses to better understand the research issue. Plan for Implementing the Project The first stage of developing the project is the involvement of the capstone partner, James A. Heron, a member of both the Indigenous and the Industrial communities, as a negotiator of Impact Benefit agreements. This partner was carefully selected as he will ensure that the data will be shared and that the study will be available for any industry, Indigenous group, or government authority. The next phase has an inquiry team that is impartial and aware of Indigenous research practices. My inquiry team comprises members of my cohort also participating in Indigenous research and members of or living in the Indigenous community. Having an inquiry team made up of individuals who are aware of the cultural practices assists in also providing feedback on approach strategies for networking with communities to source participants. Utilizing social and professional networks, participants will be sourced by email and direct contact. Community leaders will be contacted directly to gain permission to engage and to provide the information letter so that they may provide the researchers with contacts that may wish to participate. The aim is to have at least 15–20 responses to the online survey and a maximum of 15 tea meetings scheduled according to the invitation and closed after the first 15 are completed. The third part of the research process is developing the Survey and how it is delivered respectfully and inclusively. Although many business professionals may wish to complete an anonymous web-based survey, community members and elders often prefer in-person contact to complete the survey. Additionally, several participants may need access to the internet, limited access, or language barriers, so tea meetings to complete surveys allows me to interview the community members and elders respectfully according to our customs and, if required, include qualified interpreters to assist. Once the participant list is complete and the survey questions approved for use, the invitation letter included as Appendix A will be sent out—Research Participation Invite, the introduction letter had as Appendix B—Introduction/Information Letter Draft and the Research Confidentiality agreement in Appendix C—Confidentiality Agreement for Participants Draft. Those participants who complete and return the confidentiality agreement, will be granted access to the web-based survey or begin scheduling in-person tea meetings to complete and compile the data. Arrangements will be made for a qualified interpreter for anyone who identifies the need for those services to overcome language barriers. Upon compiling the data, participants will be organized into numerical and qualitative data to complete the final report. Once a draft final report of the findings is complete, steps will be taken to ensure the report accurately represents participant experiences and thoughts, as presented in the survey, by providing copies to all participants. The data generated from the online surveys and any recorded interviews will be stored online in password-protected programs that were gathered in or contained in an encrypted and password-protected location. These data will be destroyed on February 1, 2025, two years after being gathered. These data will be held to protect the confidential and personal information of all participants. Any printouts that contain the data will be immediately shredded for disposal in an environmentally approved manner. Proposed Output The best outcome of the capstone is a knowledge product write-up because it delivers the idea in a more orderly and organized manner. This review sheds light on the overlaps and differences between what the literature suggests and how research is reported in Canada. This research study will reveal several trends, which are provided below. First, even among those that used participatory research, few empirical articles described how to involve the community in all stages of the research process, stressing the value of participatory, community-driven, and community-led research for Indigenous communities to assert their sovereignty over the research enterprise. Most articles about community engagement focus on establishing connections early in the research and community participation in data gathering. A few research studies ensured the inclusion of community members in the analysis process despite the emphasis on Indigenous peoples' inclusion. Conclusion In conclusion, this research project will explore the literature, survey, and Tea with Aunty/Uncle to assist me in answering my research question. The findings and recommendations will be shared with the inquiry team and sponsor and assist in the future working on partnerships with Indigenous communities and industry. A minimum of 125 emails will be sent, inviting participants who express interest in participating thru the contact methods most suitable to each person individually (Telephone, Email, messaging thru social media platforms Facebook and LinkedIn, and in person communication) to fill out the anonymous survey and a maximum of 15 participants will be scheduled for Tea with Aunty/Uncle sessions. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: May 13 – December 31, 2023