aes26 International Evaluation Conference

Authors: Jessi Gidgup-Lovett (Rooftop Social), Duncan Rintoul (Rooftop Social)

This session invites participants into a short, participatory exploration of Cultural Wisdom and Story Gathering, grounded in relational practice in how to do business with First Nations peoples and communities.
Before choosing methods, indicators or measures of success, we need to ask more fundamental questions: Who are we doing business with? Who holds power? How will power be shared? Whose knowledge will guide us? What are we responsible for. 
Using simple sensory and reflective activities, this session will invite you to internalise respect, reciprocity, responsibility, reconciliation, being, knowing and doing as practical foundations for ethical evaluation practice. It will also ask participants to think critically about their own positionality and how they enter relationships with First Nations peoples.
You will leave with a one-page grounding resource to support ongoing reflective and reflexive practice, with a simple commitment to listen, learn, reflect, act and carry forward what you are learning through this conference.