Page 36 - Walking_The_Red_Road

9 Trust and relationships
require focus, time and space.
Running the project out of a familiar community resource, staffing the project with members of the local community, establishing action circles made up of community members and building on existing relationships, were some of the ways we fostered trust early on. However, building trust requires time and attention every step of the way. In addition to bringing the community in to do research, we took research out to the community, attending meetings and, with permission, using events like potlucks and sharing circles to explore questions. We
were in a constant dialogue with the community, regularly checking impressions and perceptions of the project and integrating feedback into our planning.
Even so, we couldn’t anticipate all of the issues that would arise or the diversity of views we might encounter. Audio recording one person’s interview was okay, but writing down what someone else said was a problem; organizing a focus group for some community members worked well, but others preferred using medicines and sharing circles. Checking, re-checking, and acting on community feedback by “trying again” are some of the ways we continually attended to and maintained trust. Despite these careful efforts, when funding was cut during the latter phase of the project resulting in some of our activities and supports being cancelled, we lost the trust that some community members had placed in us.
Indigenous research happens through relationships: a researcher seeks guidance from a community advisor; youth meet with Elders to learn about their pasts; women discuss issues
in sharing circles; CAC members work together and eat together. Every step of the project took place through relationships. And like trust, relationships need to be fostered, respected and maintained. Once again, our Indigenous research approach, grounded in the community’s ways and preferences, meant that we not only worked through relationships, we also learned to use
methods and activities based in relationships. For example, the YAC wanted to learn more about the Elders in the community. They organized a series of teas and as they developed relationships, they determined when and how it would be appropriate to learn more about the Elders and their stories.
Our relationships with service providers and academics fostered partnerships: individuals and organizations with relationships to members of the research team and/or the CAC, approached us to explore opportunities that could be of mutual benefit. Partnerships formed with Nipissing University, the Labour Market Group, etc. all began this way.
Early in the project we learned from community members that they wanted more “space and time” to drop in, have tea, chat, etc. Essentially, they wanted to be able to come and spend time at the Friendship Centre on their own terms. Given that the Friendship Centre had adopted a programming model in order to support a large number of community interests with limited resources, being able to “drop in” was not as easy as in the past.
As well, some community members wanted to
be able to spontaneously participate in activities but hadn’t gone through police checks or didn’t meet other administrative requirements. Some of these circumstances were identified as barriers to participating and the Executive Director and the research team worked together to address these issues. Space is important to our community. Many of us have moved to North Bay from communities nearby and far away, and feeling welcomed and at home in a cultural space is essential. Part of that welcoming atmosphere comes from being able to drop in and socialize without having to necessarily participate in a pre-planned activity.
It may be difficult for anyone to imagine that space and time could have this kind of importance, especially when projects are typically driven by goals and timelines. We cannot stress enough how important it is to take time and make space.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 36