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Community-based research processes: addressing the needs of multiple constituencies

Joan Farkas, Michelle Murdoch, Cathie Scott, Laura Dreuth Zeman

Vancouver - October 15, 2005

Overview

Commonalities

Project examples

How to bridge a community-university divide?

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In common

Research focus on issues that have relevance within community

Making space for voices generally not heard Working with multiple constituencies

University-community Valuing differing expertise Different needs Political influence Conflict

Action focus

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Making space for voices

Mother’s wrongfully accused of abuse

Unemployed, underemployed and employed women who have disabilities

Women who are living in poverty

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Making space for voices

Project example: WAFI - Photovoice Project Cathie Scott & Joan Farkas on behalf of WAFI Working Group

Three goals: to enable people to record and reflect on community strengths

and problems to promote dialogue about important issues through group

discussion and photographs to engage policy makers (Wang, 1998)

Website: www.photovoice.com/index.html

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I can’t moveI can’t move

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Slept in a Slept in a

port-a-pottyport-a-potty

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Two weeks to Two weeks to gogo

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Working with multiple constituencies

University-community Valuing differing expertise Different needs Political influence Conflict

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Multiple Constituencies

Project example: Photovoice

University-community

Assigning values to CD process

Measuring outcomes

Fostering relationships among researchers, front-line workers and participants

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Multiple constituencies

Project example: Women with disabilities and adaptive technology in the workplace: participatory action research and applied principles of independent living

Michelle Murdoch, Diana L. Gustafson & the Independent Living Resource Centre

Valuing differing expertise

Different needs

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Multiple constituencies

Project example: I love my children Laura Dreuth Zeman

Political influence CPS Parents Student researchers Tenure clock Journal reviewers

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Conflict

Examples from three projects

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How do we bridge the community-university divide? Questions to consider.

Participant perspective How do I participate without being exploited?

Front line worker perspective How do I find research? How do I find the time to read it? How do I apply it?

University perspective How do I engage in research that has meaning to people in the

community? How do I do participatory research and still maintain my job?

All How do you engage in this type of research without letting it consume

you?

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AcknowledgementsWomen and A Fair Income Working Group Members

Current: Joan Farkas, Susan Gillies, Fran Guindon, Beryl Kootenay, Lynda Laughlin, Donna McPhee, Maggie Pompeo, Cathie Scott, Billie Thurston, Erica Welsh

Past: Julie Black, Liza Lorrenzetti, Lillian Parent, Pam Parry, Pascal Ujuok, Patricia Vanbeselaere

Our Sponsors and Collaborators

Institute for Gender Research Family and Community Support Services Special Projects, University of Calgary

Women’s Program, Status of Women Canada Department of Sociology,

Faculty of Social Sciences

National Homelessness Initiative

City of Calgary – Community and Neighbourhood Services

The Women’s Centre of Calgary Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine

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AcknowledgementsWomen with Disabilities

Canadian Centre on Disability Studies

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Contact information

www.fp.ucalgary.ca/wafi wafi@ucalgary.ca

http://wwww.ilrc.nf.ca dreuth@siu.edu