The Tłįchǫ community action research team [electronic resource] : place-based conversation starters

Four young people from the Tłįchǫ community of Behchokö, Northwest Territories, make up the Tłįchǫ Community Action Research Team (CART). CART has been defined as an “innovative knowledge translation model” whose work involves turning research into action. Deeper understandings of how the theoretical underpinnings of CART were embodied in the lived experiences of CART members and their mentors was an initial phase of a program evaluation. Cycles of training, research, action, evaluation, and more training revealed the academic side of the model; lived experiences of time listening at kitchen tables and learning on the land gave a glimpse into the cultural side. A dynamic interconnected CART model with Tłįchǫ community-driven priorities, a place-based knowledge exchange, and stories within stories emerged through the lived experiences of CART members, their advisors, partners, and leaders. Conceptualizing CART as the ever-turning wheel and the “conversation starters” within interconnected social systems revealed a dynamic model for place-based change.