Dialogues and Encounters in the Arctic (2020-2022) is an Interreg Nord and Lapin Liitto funded project led by the Sámi Education Institute (FIN) and involving partners from Umeå University (SE) and the University of Lapland’s (FIN). The purpose of this project was to initiate dialogue between the Arctic Indigenous peoples and researchers on challenges affecting the Arctic, the traditional economies, culture, societies, and ecosystems. The project shared and documented knowledge and information on Arctic Indigenous livelihoods, languages and culture, and subjects affecting them. Themes like food sovereignty, environmental observations, Indigenous design and innovation and storytelling were explored through a series of workshops which took place in both virtual and physical spaces, and in different educational environments with the Sámi community. Storytelling, dialogue and design methods were used as a way to engage in these topics. The overall purpose of the project was to create a pilot network-based model for research-community collaboration in the Arctic. The project outcomes were based on the findings that emerge from the workshops and by processing the dynamics of the players involved and the factors affecting Indigenous communities in the Arctic, and most specifically within the Sápmi area.

Please visit the project website here.