scholarly journals Maximizing community participation and engagement: lessons learned over 2 decades of field trials in rural Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Newton ◽  
Guus Ten Asbroek ◽  
Zelee Hill ◽  
Charlotte Tawiah Agyemang ◽  
Seyi Soremekun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Community Members ◽  
District Health ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Field Workers

Abstract Background Successful implementation of community-based research is dominantly influenced by participation and engagement from the local community without which community members will not want to participate in research and important knowledge and potential health benefits will be missed. Therefore, maximising community participation and engagement is key for the effective conduct of community-based research. In this paper, we present lessons learnt over two decades of conducting research in 7 rural districts in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana with an estimated population of around 600,000. The trials which were mainly in the area of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health were conducted by the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Methods The four core strategies which were used were formative research methods, the formation of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) team to serve as the main link between the research team and the community, recruitment of field workers from the communities within which they lived, and close collaboration with national and regional stakeholders. Results These measures allowed trust to be built between the community members and the research team and ensured that potential misconceptions which came up in the communities were promptly dealt with through the IEC team. The decision to place field workers in the communities from which they came and their knowledge of the local language created trust between the research team and the community. The close working relationship between the District health authorities and the Kintampo Health Research Centre supported the acceptance of the research in the communities as the District Health Authorities were respected and trusted. Conclusion The successes achieved during the past 2 decades of collaboration between LSHTM and KHRC in conducting community-based field trials were based on involving the community in research projects. Community participation and engagement helped not only to identify the pertinent issues, but also enabled the communities and research team to contribute towards efforts to address challenges.

scholarly journals Exploring the Lives, Communities, and Social Circles of Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities through Photo Voice

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A Wendling ◽  
Katie Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Photo Voice

The voices of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are valuable and much needed in community-based research.   In this study, Photo Voice provided a way to engage individuals with IDD in research exploring their lives, communities, and social circles through photography.  Enabling community members to serve as co-researchers and catalysts for change in their own communities, Photo Voices is a research methodology that seeks to 1) enable people to record and reflect their community’s assets and needs, 2) promote dialogue and action about important issues raised through group discussions and photographs, and 3) reach local and/or national policymakers.  This Indianapolis-based study involved nine co-researchers, all of whom live with an IDD, who came together to discuss their lives and communities through photography.  The following six themes emerged from discussions about their photographs and are presented as points of discussion: 1) the significance of place, 2) the primacy of friends, 3) the importance of social activities and community participation, 4) pride in the ability to live independently, 5) the low profile of family and staff members, and 6) the absence of romantic partners.  Discussions about the co-researchers’ photographs uncovered important themes regarding social relationships, community participation, and independence that led to action in the form of a letter writing campaign to local and national policymakers and a public art show to display and discuss their photography. 

Community-Based Participatory Research

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey Marie Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Partnership Approach

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) embraces a partnership approach to research that equitably involves community members, organizational representatives, social workers, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change. It is community based in the sense that community members become part of the research team and researchers become engaged in the activities of the community. Community–researcher partnerships allow for a blending of values and expertise, promoting co-learning and capacity building among all partners, and integrating and achieving a balance between research and action for the mutual benefit of all partners. Various terms have been used to describe this research, including participatory action research (PAR), action research (AR), community based research (CBR), collaborative action research (CAR), anti-oppressive research, and feminist research.

Grounded in Culture: Reflections on Sitting Outside the Circle in Community-Based Research With Indigenous Men

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (14) ◽  
pp. 2343-2350
Author(s):  
Candice M. Waddell ◽  
Rachel V. Herron ◽  
Jason Gobeil ◽  
Frank Tacan ◽  
Margaret De Jager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Research Paradigms ◽  
Reflexive Practice

Research continues to be a dirty word for many Indigenous people. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a means to disrupt power dynamics by engaging community members within the research process. However, the majority of relationships between researcher and participants within CBPR are structured within Western research paradigms and they often reproduce imbalances of power. The purpose of this article is to reflect on the process of CBPR within a research project focused on Indigenous men’s masculinity and mental health. In doing so, we aim to contribute to reflexive practice in CBPR and flatten research hierarchies to facilitate more equitable knowledge sharing. Our reflections highlight the importance of prioritizing healing, centering cultural protocols, negotiating language, and creating space for Indigenous research partners to lead. These critical lessons challenge Western researchers to ground their practices in Indigenous culture while they “sit outside the circle” to facilitate more equitable and engaged partnerships.

scholarly journals Caught up in power: Exploring discursive frictions in community research

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Hanson ◽  
Adeyemi Ogunade
Keyword(s):  
Research Process ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Power Asymmetries ◽  
Research Relationships

This article outlines the debate around the emancipatory claims of community-based research (CBR) and identifies discursive frictions as a pivotal point upon which much of CBR practice revolves. Using a Foucauldian theoretical lens, we suggest that CBR is neither inherently emancipatory nor repressive, but that research outcomes are more often a product of power asymmetries in CBR relationships. To illustrate how power asymmetries in research relationships produce discursive frictions, several studies from our work and the literature are presented. The article provides examples of CBR relationships between the researcher and community members and relationships within the community to illustrate how power asymmetries and discursive frictions in these relationships dynamically influence research outcomes and thus alert researchers to the need to address power asymmetries not just before initiating CBR projects, but during CBR projects as well. We interrogate how power asymmetries and discursive frictions operate and are constructed in CBR in an attempt to highlight how research might be conducted more effectively and ethically. Finally, we indicate that some of the tensions and challenges associated with CBR might be ameliorated by the use of participatory facilitation methodologies, such as photo-voice and story circle discussion groups, that draw attention to power asymmetries and purposefully use more creative participatory tools to restructure power relationships and ultimately address the inequities that exist in the research process. Because CBR is continually caught up in power dynamics, we hope that highlighting some examples might offer an opportunity for increased dialogue and critical reflection on its claims of empowerment and emancipation.Keywords: discursive friction, Foucault, participatory methodologies, power asymmetries, research relationships, emancipatory research  

scholarly journals 2483

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 80-80
Author(s):  
Clara Pelfrey ◽  
Katrice Cain ◽  
Mary Ellen Lawless ◽  
Earl Pike ◽  
Ashwini Sehgal
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation System ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Consult Service ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Knowledge Community ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Study Population

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: This study describes the design, operation, and evaluation of a community-based research (CBR) consult service within the setting of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) institution. To our knowledge, there are no published evaluations of a CBR consult service at a CTSA hub. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A CBR consult service was created to support faculty, healthcare providers/research coordinators, trainees, community-based organizations, and community members. A framework was developed to assess the stages of client engagement and to foster clear articulation of client needs and challenges. A developmental evaluation system was integrated with the framework to track progress, store documents, continuously improve the consult service, and assess research outcomes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: This framework provides information on client numbers, types, services used, and successful outreach methods. Tracking progress reveals reasons that prevent clients from completing projects and facilitates learning outcomes relevant to clients and funding agencies. Clients benefit from the expert knowledge, community connections, and project guidance provided by the consult service team, increasing the likelihood of study completion and achieving research outcomes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our evaluation suggests that clients benefit by (1) gaining the collective knowledge of the experts comprising the team, (2) learning the process of doing CBR, including the required steps to reach completion, and (3) gaining a project management mentality promoting translational research outcomes. This study offers a framework by which CTSA institutions can expand their capacity to conduct and evaluate CBR while addressing challenges that inhibit community engagement.

scholarly journals Local community participation in rhino conservation - Key to conservation success.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
ADMIRE CHANYANDURA
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Rhino Poaching

A robust framework to guide community engagement in illegal wildlife trade is lacking. There is a need to reconnect local communities with their original wildlife, a connection which they have lost through the influence of colonialism and neo-colonialism. Virtually all conservation bodies and players believe that local communities are key to the success of rhino conservation but they are not equally walking their talk. Bottom-up community-based initiatives help to curb poaching especially level one poachers. The multifaceted problem of African rhino poaching on the continent is approaching calamitous proportions, with astounding, sobering statistics revealing the sheer extent of the illegal practice today. The interplay of rhino horn demand and supply side is fuelled by poverty, greed, superstition, corruption, social injustice, ruthlessness, and ignorance. Economic transformation benefiting wildlife and communities is key to save the rhinoceros species. Rhino properties should provide direct financial benefits to communities, building capacity and engage community members and private landowners in rhinoceros conservation. Rhino protection should be incentivized, continuously increasing the number of people benefiting from conservation, and decreasing animosity toward wildlife will motivate local people to fully embrace conservation efforts. Conservation efforts should first target level one poachers who are vulnerable and exposed, by developing a comprehensive profitable and lucrative community participation packages in all rhino properties. Conservationists should walk their talk and genuinely work with local communities to build support for rhino conservation through education, awareness, self-sustaining business ventures and employment.

scholarly journals Knowledge Democracy and Epistemic In/Justice: Reflections on a Conversation

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-45
Author(s):  
Budd L. Hall ◽  
Baptiste Godrie ◽  
Isabel Heck
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Knowledge Democracy ◽  
The University

The focus of the article is on how knowledge is created, who creates knowledge, how knowledge is co-constructed, whose knowledge is excluded and how knowledge is being used to challenge inequalities and strengthen social movement capacity. This article grew from a fascinating conversation that the three of us had in Montreal in September of 2019. We decided to share our stories about knowledge and justice with a wider audience in part as a way for us to reflect further on the meaning of our initial conversation, but also to invite others into the discussion. Baptiste Godrie works in a research centre (CREMIS) affiliated  with Quebec’s health care and social services system, Isabel Heck works with the anti-poverty organization Parole d’excluEs, both affiliated to universities, and Budd Hall works at the University of Victoria and is the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based research and social responsibility in higher education.

scholarly journals Perubahan Perilaku Open Defecation Free (ODF) melalui Program Sanitasi Total Berbasis Masyarakat (STBM) di Desa Babad Kecamatan Kedungadem Kabupaten Bojonegoro

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-119
Author(s):  
Abdul Muhid ◽  
Sumarkan ◽  
Rakhmawati ◽  
Lukman Fahmi
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Program Sustainability ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Implementation Evaluation ◽  
Community Awareness ◽  
Planning Implementation

This research aimed to change the behavior of Open Defecation Free (ODF) through Total Sanitation Program of Community-Based. Through Community-Based Research (CBR) approach, it was possible that participatory researchers with communities and partners (stakeholders) preparing plans, conducting and evaluating research results. The results showed that the success of the program was determined by the level of Community participation in the planning, implementation, evaluation and until program sustainability. This was shown by the emergence of Community awareness to change the behavior of Open Defecation Free (ODF) and independently able to solve the problem of sanitation based community by building the decent toilet facilities in participatory. Changing in Open Defecation Free (ODF) behavior through Total Sanitation Program of Community-Based was strongly influenced by the availability of sanitation, the support of all parties, and the changing in the community's understanding of ODF. Total Sanitation Program of Community Based-participatory-based was very effective against the effort to change the behavior of defecation carelessly.

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