Our Philosophy
Debwe Maada'ookii Maamawi
Speaking and Sharing Together
Our name reflects how we approach our work.
Good work begins by bringing people, knowledge, and experience together. We don't assume that we have every answer or that an approach that worked somewhere else will work here. We listen, ask questions, learn from the people involved, and bring our own experience and expertise where it can be useful.
These principles guide how we work.
Listen First
We listen before deciding what the work requires. That means being prepared to hear when an approach isn't working, question our own assumptions, and change course when needed.
Listening isn't something we do simply to collect feedback. What we hear should have the ability to shape what happens next.
Respect Distinctions
First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples are distinct. Governments, communities, cultures, histories, rights, and circumstances are distinct too.
We don't assume that knowledge or an approach developed in one place can simply be transferred somewhere else. We work to understand the people and circumstances involved and seek local knowledge when our own knowledge has limits.
Understand Before Acting
Complex problems rarely benefit from quick assumptions.
Before recommending a way forward, we take the time to understand the issue, its context, the people involved, and the information available. Where other expertise is needed, we seek it. Good advice begins with understanding what we're actually dealing with.
Build Capacity
Capacity can mean different things depending on the work. Sometimes a client needs additional research, policy, planning, facilitation, or project support to take on something beyond its existing resources. Sometimes the work involves sharing knowledge or developing tools that allow people to carry the work forward themselves.
Our goal is to add useful capacity where it is needed, not create unnecessary dependency on a consultant.
Adapt When the Work Requires It
Plans are developed with the information available at the time. Practice can reveal something different.
New information may emerge. Circumstances may change. A process may not work as intended. When that happens, we don't protect the original plan simply because it was the original plan. We assess what we've learned, explain what needs to change, and adapt the work accordingly.
Laughter Is Good Medicine
First Nations people have long understood the importance of humour. It has helped us carry difficult experiences, strengthen relationships, ease tension, and find moments of joy even when the work before us is serious.
We bring that understanding into our work. Respecting the importance of a conversation does not mean leaving humour, storytelling, or our ways of relating to one another at the door. There can be room for stories, teasing, laughter, and the relationships that form when people feel comfortable being themselves.