Dante Carter, Peter Hutchinson, Gabrielle Legault, Karlyn Olsen, Mariko Kage, Haley Cundy
Abstract
In conducting Indigenous community-based research, researchers rely on community connections that go beyond transactional relationships. For research to transcend a transactional dynamic, it often requires researchers to be embedded within the community. Embedded researchers play a unique role in navigating the priorities of both university-based research and the community. This paper highlights the work of two Community Research Liaisons (CRLs) who skillfully navigate the process of building relationships between the community and the university, as part of a health research project focused on culture-based programs for urban Indigenous youth in Kelowna and Lillooet, Canada. These relationships not only strengthen existing community connections but also foster new ones. Drawing on literature that describes roles like CRLs, we provide examples of the contributions that embedded researchers make. Through conversations as a community-university team, we reflect on the successes and challenges related to relationship building, supporting community-university connections, and involving the community in decision-making throughout the research process. This paper aims to support other community-based research projects by highlighting the significance that embedded researchers bring to the research process, as well as the role CRLs play in ongoing research partnerships and ensuring that generated knowledge is accessible, relevant, and usable by those communities.
