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means being in step with community rhythms.
Unlike common mainstream research approaches, Indigenous research works with the rhythms and dynamics of the community. And as much as we were prepared to do this, it took some time for us to
learn how to recognize and respond to the dynamics. In time, we learned that community participation would ebb and flow, that leaders would emerge in unlikely circumstances, and that opportunity would knock when we needed it most. We also learned that rather than seeing some requests and developments as possible distractions from the work, we needed to see them as part of the journey. When Friendship Centre staff offered casual feedback, when Elders stopped in to tell a story, when youth told us a focus group wouldn’t work, when community members rearranged chairs, when cooking became the way to share information—all of this taught us that the project needed to be responsive to the organic nature
of community participation and community life. As such, administratively (budgets, work plans), it was difficult to plan exactly what resources might be needed when and for what. However, once we became acclimatized to “going with the flow,” we could respond by asking ourselves, Okay, how can we work with this? How can we better support this person’s participation at this time? Could this become an opportunity to explore views on mental health?
Being flexible and responsive
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