In collaborative projects involving Indigenous communities and tackling local and situated issues, new ways of engaging in collective design practice (CDP) are essential, as highlighted in discussions on the decolonization of design. This article examines the “dynamic of trust” as an ideal condition for such work: a fluid process that supports collaboration, creativity, and relational development in meaningful CDP. Using a practice-led approach and a systemic lens, the study explores the dynamic of trust based on learnings from two international projects that took place in 2020–2022: (a) Dialogues and Encounters in the Arctic (DEA), set in a Sámi context with institutional partners from Finland and Sweden; and (b) Solutions for Engaging and Empowering Youth with Trans-Atlantic Mirroring (SEEYouth), a project concerned with marginalized youth involving partners from Brazil, the UK, Canada, and Finland. This process included the use of multiple qualitative methods to document experiential knowledge held by project collaborators. The findings suggest that designers should focus on organizing projects and relationships in ways that strengthen trust on multiple levels (in oneself, in others, and as an atmosphere), supported by transversal skills and collaborative approaches rooted in (Indigenous) collective action. More significantly, the study contends that embracing a dynamic, relationship-centered approach to CDP is the key to socially responsible design.
Beaulé et al. (Mon,) studied this question.