Lecture Notes on Theories of Change and Collaborative Indigenous Research

Acknowledgements

• Expressed gratitude to several individuals and communities for their hospitality and support.
• Specific thanks to Auntie Dr Matilda Williams, Shane Bellingham, Lelon Bandler, Stu Stuart Southerland, Jasmine Boy, Chanel Cabo Cabillo, and others.
• Recognized the contributions of tech support, meal preparations, and custodial work.

Personal and Community Background

• Speaker's community from St. Paul Island in Alaska.
• Emotionally significant to be in Australia, experiencing new lands, waters, and skies.
• Reflection on the alignment of well-being and health between different indigenous communities.
• Context of the time spent in Australia, including the referendum outcome and its emotional impact.

Bravest Questions as Educators and Researchers

• Essential questions to consider: "Does my work do anything?" and "What are my theories of change?"
• These questions help to avoid despair and foster a generative outlook.

Theories of Change in Practice

• Began in community organizing and youth education, learning the impact of campaigns on environmental and social issues.
• Notable example: Protest signs at a direct action to decommission a cement plant in the South Bronx.
• Importance of participative approaches in education and community projects.

Political Nature of Data

• Data always comes with a narrative, often biased against marginalized communities.
• Challenges of using traditional educational metrics as supportive data in community-focused work.
• Transition to participatory research to contest and repurpose data for policy change.

Personal Academic Journey

• Learned feminist participatory action research with Dr. Michelle Fine.
• Importance of incorporating complexity, desire, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities in research.
• Shift to non-text-based research methods (e.g., photography, audio recordings) to be more inclusive.
• Example: Podcast "The Hence Forward." Focus on relationships between Black and Indigenous peoples.

Land Relationship Super Collective

• Collaborative project involving various Indigenous and Black collectives working on land rematriation and futurity.
• Use of "Somewhere recordings" for internal knowledge sharing.
• Emphasis on direct and specific knowledge generation for sustainable community support.

Pedagogical Implications of Theories of Change

• Theories of change are dynamic and context-based, not linear or prescriptive.
• Addressing how social change truly happens requires asking about the role of human agency and relationships.

Collaborative Indigenous Research Digital Garden (CIRDG)

• Development of a tool to support research that is both Indigenous and participatory.
• Initial challenge: Differentiating ethical, community-based research from exploitative practices.
• Collection of over 1,000 studies, refined to an initial 200 example profiles for the digital archive.
• Emphasis on expanding the tool through community submissions and fostering a sense of scholarly community.

Final Thoughts on Theories of Change

• Asked us to frequently discuss and consider our theories of change in various contexts.
• Encourage a deeper conversation not just for predicting outcomes, but understanding collective and individual roles in social change.

Closing Remarks and Invitation

• Invited continued growth of the Collaborative Indigenous Research Digital Garden and participation from the community.
• Highlighted the crucial need for considering theories of change in both everyday and academic discourses.