Living Trails
Indigenizing Policy
Team Project - 5 Members
Tool Development
Design Research
Facilitation
S.E. United States
Living Trails is a participatory policy design framework and toolkit, grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems that brings together Traditional Knowledge holders, community members and policymakers to co-create place-based, relational policy.
Challenge
Conventional policy processes often marginalize grassroot voices, extract knowledge without reciprocity, and rely on linear, technocratic models that conflict with relational worldviews. This challenge is compounded by a "fourth removal"—a looming environmental displacement mandated by climate change that threatens the foundation of human civilization just as historical removals once devastated Indigenous nations. Current systems often rely on extractive research and tokenistic inclusion, leading to policies that are disconnected from the communities they affect.
Solution
Living Trails responds by shifting power toward community-led policy formation through a structured, bottom-up process that prioritizes trust, respect and intergenerational learning. The method supports participants in building shared understanding and collaborative pathways for governance, offering a model that is adaptable, place-based and rooted in relational ethics. The solution is operationalized through several key frameworks:
A 7-Step Transformative Journey: Based on an adaptation of Theory U, the model guides stakeholders from "Reflecting Inwards" and "Honoring Pasts"—to "Welcoming Futures" and "Carrying Forward" through collective commitment.
The Safe And Just Space: Drawing on Doughnut Economics, the framework establishes a space where human needs are met without overshooting planetary boundaries and social foundations.
The Trade Blanket: A culturally grounded ritual of reciprocity and relational accountability, where participants engage in the symbolic exchange of ideas and commitments rather than transactional deals.
Living Trails seeks to transform governance from a "machine" into a "communal tapestry," where policy is co-authored by the people and for the people.
