Post on 10-Jan-2016
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transcript
Linking Networks of Community Practice, Policy
& Research:
A Framework for Participatory Action
Research & Development
Dr. Peter DaySchool of Computing, Mathematical &
Information Sciences
Faculty of Management & Information
Sciences
Presentation outline
3 Fold:
1. Consider conceptual & practical linkages
between
Community practice
Community policy
Community research
2. Normative framework of democratic design
criteria
3. Introduce research project
You beauty!!!
Something to ponder
It is not enough to expect the location of ICTs in
public places to meet community need. Large
amounts of resources and energy are often
invested in public access with little consideration
given to the broader social context
The Lushai Hills Metaphor
Allegory
Rosenbrock, H., (1990) Machines with a purpose. Oxford: Oxford University Press
In our deliberations - what might be considered as such an alternative pathway?
How might this metaphor be of use to us?
Experiences & lessons from this trip
A synergistic trilogy
Ideally, although each field has its own parameters, goals, actors, audience and very often language, the purpose, population and performance of each are inescapably interwoven with that of the others. Each draws from, contributes to and sustains the others in a network of community services, actions, relationships, communication and outcomes.
Community Practice
Community PolicyCommunity Research
Importance of community practice
Method
For promoting policies that encourage the
planning, building and sustainability of healthy
communities
Theory
That assists in providing an understanding of the
interrelationship between the people, groups,
organizations and activities that contribute to
community life
Community practiceA generic term that describes:
• The sustained involvement of paid community workers
• A broad range of professionals who are increasingly using community work methods in their work
• Managerial attempts at reviewing, restructuring and relocating services to encourage community access
and involvement in the planning and delivery of services
• The efforts of self-managed community groups themselves
(Glen, 1993, 22)
3 approaches to community practice
Community services
Developing community organisations & services
Community development
Promoting community self-help & empowerment
Community action
Representation and promotion of collective interests
Community ICT Practice
Community services (done to)Provision of online information services, public access centres, low cost ICT provision schemes, and learning programmes
Community development (done with)Capacity building stimulate dialogue, collaboration and mutuality to strengthen social capital
Community planning or design of ICT initiatives
Community action (done by)Community communicative action, e.g. Community Networks and Community/Indy Media initiatives
Policy - help or hindrance?
Policy can create an environment that either blocks or assists the building of healthy communities
By developing an understanding of local need it is possible to develop policies and partnerships that are meaningful and relevant to people in their communities
Changing culture & mindsets
Understanding that the language of ‘best practice’ isn’t suited to community
Knowledge about community cultures and needs is required to facilitate such changes...this means engaging in meaningful dialogue
The processes of data/information collection, classification and analysis to enable the augmentation of understanding community practice and policy is the responsibility of research
More specifically, it is the responsibility of those researchers, both academics and practitioners, who form the emerging field of community communication technology research – commonly known as community informatics
Bridging Policy, Practice & Research
Community Practice
Community PolicyCommunity Research
Practice - what really happens in communities on day to day basis - real life!
Policy - sets the conditions that influence community environment
Research provides insights into, and explanations of, community events, processes and relationships
Democratic principles for community technology practice
1. CTIs must be grounded in local community values
2. The goals, activities, services and outcomes of CTIs
should meet the needs of the community
3. In addition to providing a wide range of community
services, CTIs should stimulate and promote both
community development and community action
4. Contribute to a public space for shared communication
5. Recognize and celebrate cultural diversity
6. Promote self-actualisation
7. Develop a sense of community identity with, and
ownership of, CTIs
Democratic principles for community technology policy
1.Avoid policies that establish authoritarian or
elitist social relations.
2.Encourage participatory community action
3.Invest in social capital
4.Stimulate the social fabric, or core values, of the
local community as well the local economy.
5.Promote cross-sectoral or tripartite partnerships
6.Facilitate collaborative interaction and exchange
within and between communities.
Democratic principles for community technology research
1. How is research of significance to community?
2. Communities should be involved in all stages of research
design, implementation and analysis
3. The processes and outcomes of community research should be
of benefit to community life and address community need
4. Where possible, partnerships developed between researchers
and communities should extend beyond the life of the project
5. Communities see a lot of traditional social science research as
being abstract and irrelevant
The appeal of community technologies
Within a community practice context, the appeal of community communication technology – lies not in the technology or even the information they provide access to, but with the interactions and exchanges between people that it facilitates. In other words, it is the potential for supporting communication in and between communities that makes community communication technology initiatives socially significant.
CNA - Community Network Analysis & ICTs: Bridging and
building community ties
ESRC/ DTI funded project
PACCIT Research Programme - People At the
Centre of Communication & Information Technology
Project No. RES-328-25-0012
Project Team - Collaborative partnership UoB,
SCIP & participating communities
Project research aims
To investigate the potential of network technology (including mobile telephony) as tools for building and sustaining social capital in communities To critically analyse and evaluate the impact of ICT on social network ties and cohesion by measuring community communication and information flows within and between community groups and networks
Community design processes as participatory engagement
Community activity by people that share common interests and respect their diversity
Community involvement central to identifying community need
Contribution to building community capacity to develop the skills to manage & develop community life
Community Network Analysis
Participatory Action Research project
Initial introductory phase
Enter into dialogue with communitiesPre-assessment & awareness raising
Community taster days
Community Network Analysis
3 Distinct but interrelated development & research phases:
• Community profiling/asset based mapping & social network analysis• Participatory learning workshops• Community communications space prototyping & development
Phase 1
Community Profiling
Auditing & mapping techniques, e.g. Kretzmann & McKnight’s ABCD + Greer & Hale’s Community Analysis
Information & communications needs analysis
Social Network Analysis Analysis of community network relationships
People and organisations are connected within and beyond the
locality
Intra and inter community connectivity (social)
Patterns of information and communication flows & forms of media
How ICTs influence these links & relationships (if they do)
Phase 2Participatory learning workshops (PLWs)
ICT learning environments - Something more than just training
From - “OK I/we can use the Internet……how does this contribute towards my/our community?”
Capacity building
Not just to use ICT but to critically consider how they might contribute
To building, supporting & sustaining community networking & social capital
Building & managing community
To – “How can we use ICT in & for OUR community?”
Phase 3
Community communications prototype
• Community needs meets systems design
• Designers, who will be drawn from both technology experts (Uni & SCIP) and community participants, will be involved in project from Day 1
• We have budgeted for a range of applications but wish to avoid pre-judging community need
• Participatory action research informing participatory design & development
• Method as tool for both knowledge and community development
Thanks for listening
To discuss this presentation or
related issues, please contact me at:
p.day@btinternet.com
What do we mean by community? (3 interrelated senses)
Something in common
Community valuessolidarity - inspires affection & loyalty through mutuality and co-operationparticipation - individuals contribute to and engage in collective life & aspirations of communitycoherence - connect individual & community …understanding of self and social world
Active community - e.g. groups, orgs. & networks
Valorise diversity
In summary
Community = an active group, or groups, of people with something in common, who, from a shared value-base, valorise diversity & work to improve the quality of life for the collective and individual alike.
Requires shared value base with policy
Community development
Involvement of more
people & organisations
Involvement of ‘involvement ready’ people & organisations
The planning process
-early stages
The local population
Implementation
- early stages
The planning process
- later stages
Implementation
- later stages
TimeInvolving citizens & community
groups
Personal details
•Co-director community technology research SEAKE Centre @ University of Brighton•Visiting Senior Research Fellow @ CQU•Director Sussex Community Internet Project (SCIP)•Co-author of IBM/CDF commissioned ‘Down-to-Earth’ or COMMIT report•PhD in field of Community Informatics•Digital City evaluator – OSI Europe•Co-Chair CIRN•Former Eastbourne Borough Councillor & community activist