2015 Conference

Discussion Symposium

Those who do research in communities (Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal) know there are two approaches: the community as research subject and the community as engaged research partner.  This symposium is an invitation to community based researchers to come discuss with and learn from each other research strategies and methods that attempt to engage communities as research partners.

This symposium offers the opportunity to engage in a facilitated discussion around critical questions for environmentally grounded researchers working in non-academic communities with the twin goals of improving our own understanding of collaborative research approaches and coming to grips with what the research process looks like from the perspective of community members and ensuring they are as much engaged and benefitting from the process as we are.

Questions open for discussion include:

1. What are the different definitions of collaborative community research and what fundamental principles should be included;
2. What is required on the part of academic researchers and a community to actually engage as research partners effectively and productively;
3. What techniques or methods improve or even start community engagement;
4. What are communities hoping for or needing from a researcher;
5. How do we assess successful community partnering;
6. How do we give back to our partners effectively?
7.        How can collaborations best address different worldviews?

Other questions are likely to arise in the course of our discussion, and we will use a facilitated discussion format to start to articulate ideas for implementing engaged research partnerships with communities.

The facilitators/participants have extensive experience working collaboratively with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and will share a few of their own lessons in a preliminary presentation, before opening the symposium up for others to share their experiences.