Building Capacities of the Next Generation of Community Based Participatory Researchers

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BuildingCapacitiesOfTheNextGenerationOfCommunity-BasedParticipatoryResearchers
EVENT REPORT
Building Capacities Of The Next Generation Of Community-Based Participatory Researchers
PRIA Conference Hall, PRIA, New Delhi
April 10, 2015

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The UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education
conducted a conversation on “How to build next generation of practitioners in community-based
participatory research in global south?” on 10 April 2015 at PRIA’s head office in New Delhi.
It has been 40 years since the concept of participatory research was first articulated. Prof. Budd Hall
and Dr Rajesh Tandon, UNESCO Co-Chairs, have worked together on practising, refining and
promoting the methodology of participatory research during this period. As the methodology gained
greater acceptance in academic bodies, they realised that opportunities for training the next
generation of practitioners, scholars and champions of participatory research in the global South
have not been keeping pace. The event on 10 April 2015 was an opportunity to have a deeper
conversation about strategies and partnerships required to scale-up such capacities around the
world.
The UNESCO Co-Chairs initiated the discussion around the issue of “Participatory Research In Action:
Where Is the Future?”.1
Through the inspirations, high points and low points of their own work with
participatory research, they pointed to what helps promote participatory research in academe and
why spaces and resources for participatory research action have reduced. Drs Hall and Tandon
recounted how their interest in participatory research began and how this powerful tool can be used
as an aid in the research, service and teaching goals of higher educational institutions. The shifting
trends in education are going to further shape the future of participatory research as a research and
learning tool.
The role of building relationships as part of community based research2
was emphasised in
particular. Participatory research is necessary to bring about sustainable social change; yet, the
process is time-consuming and often researchers and funders do not have the time or resources to
invest in the process. Grassroots civil society organisations, the frontline practitioners of
participatory research, have unfortunately been reporting “evidence based impacts” for some time
now, relegating qualitative measures (based on participatory methodologies) to the background.
Global Status of Capacity Building in Participatory Research
Capacity building of a next generation of participatory researchers is important. Participatory
research is a way of doing meaningful social science research, and students need to be provided the
opportunity to learn participatory research. What kind of training did participatory research learners
want? What was the best possible way to provide them with this learning? There is very little
research on how best to train people in community based research.
1
This conversation was held as part of PRIA’s ongoing series of dialogues titled PRIA-logues – a series of conversations to gather the
wisdom of those who have long been part of the third sector for the next generation of leaders. Full video of the dialogue will soon be
available on PRIA’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/PRIAIndia)
2
“Participatory Research” (PR) and “Community Based Research” (CBR) are often used inter-changeably in higher educational institutions
(and in this report), though the term Participatory Research is preferred because “community” can mean different things in different
cultural contexts.

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The UNESCO Chair has initiated a study, supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada (SSHRC), on the status of capacity building in participatory research.3
This global
study aims to create new interdisciplinary knowledge on the training for community based research
and increase access to high quality training. The pilot phase of the survey was conducted in October
2014, in which 423 respondents from 59 countries answered a short online questionnaire. Majority
of the respondents were higher educational instructors, and over 90 per cent of respondents were
either previously involved in or were interested in further training on community based research. A
broad overview of initial results shows interesting findings on the nature of training preferred across
regions and that most practitioners have learnt participatory research through experiential/on-the-
job training. Yet, this kind of training is hardly ever provided to students of participatory research in
academic institutions. Issues regarding the type of online courses preferred by students and details
of the nature of training currently being provided are going to be analysed in-depth over the next
few months, including preparing 10-12 case studies. A practical guide to community based research
training, a book on theory and practice of community based research, and video training materials
will be produced as a result of the survey findings.
Pic 1: Walter Lepore, research scholar, University of Victoria
Teaching Participatory Research4
Teaching participatory research in the classroom should not only be about learning the techniques
and methodologies, but should also promote social/relational expertise, a holistic and shared view
of research, and collective reading and reflection. “It is important that students of participatory
research first see community members as people, not merely segregated and categorised by age,
gender, class, caste, etc, but more importantly see their place in the relations of power in society,
3
Walter Lepore’s presentation made on the occasion can be accessed at http://www.slideshare.net/PRIAIndia/walter-lepore-cbr-capacity-
building. Details of the project are available at http://unescochair-cbrsr.org/unesco/building-the-next-generation-of-community-based-
researchers-the-nextgen-project/
4
Presentation made by Dr Andrea Vargiu can be accessed at http://www.slideshare.net/PRIAIndia/andrea-vargiu-cbr-capacity-
building?related=1

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their interests and knowledge,” said Dr Andrea Vargiu, from Department of Humanities and Social
Sciences, University of Sassari, Italy. He emphasised the need for the teaching of participatory research
to be in classrooms and institutions that act as “social laboratories”, where the laboratory is a
community of practice and cooperation, a place for autonomy, awareness and significance.
Pic 2: Dr Andrea Vargiu, University of Sassari, Italy
Prof. Arun Kumar from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi likened Prof. Varigu’s idea for a social
laboratory to the Gandhian idea of education and village based economy. “There exists a gap
between what a community thinks and the language a researcher uses in his/her research.” Learning
to bridge this gap was equally essential for the next generation of community based researchers, he
felt.
Creating social laboratories may be resisted in current institutional structures of universities, but the
next generation of participatory research teachers must push the boundaries to establish such
centres of learning. Mutual support and cooperation from within and outside academia (especially
from civil society organisations practicing participatory research) would be of enormous help in this
regard. Yet, resistance is a part of life. “Why should we do away with this resistance and emphasise
cooperation in teaching participatory research?” asked Ranjita Mohanty, independent scholar and
practitioner. “We should learn to cope with such conflict, without allowing the conflict to escalate
and make the teaching-learning process dysfunctional.”
Community based research is aimed at producing reflective practitioners who are sensitive to pro-
people attitudes. “Promoting community based research among social sciences is more common,
and easy, but in building the next generation we must also pay attention to students from science
and technology backgrounds as well,” said Prof. Devi Prasad, from Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai.

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“Capacities of both social work educators and students need to be built,” emphasised Dr Sandra
Joseph, from Stella Maris College, Chennai. Agreeing that training opportunities for fellow teachers
at the university were needed, Dr Manju Panwar, Head, Department of Social Work, BPS Women’s
University, Sonipat, said, “Training should bring about an attitudinal change towards community
based research.”
Mobilising Resources for Building Capacity in Community-based Participatory Research
Mobilising resources for community-based participatory research in the university structure is a big
challenge that has to be faced. India can learn lessons from the experience of other regions.
European universities are presently faced with the urgent challenge of improving their performance
related to community based research and have to make strategic choices where to focus their
community based research efforts. Over the past three decades, Europe’s universities have become
more autonomous in decision making, but with financial difficulties resulting from Europe’s
economic crisis, they have begun to prioritise the value of their activities in increasingly economic
terms. Public/community engagement activities with income generation potential (targeted
primarily at businesses as the “community”) have become more important, thereby marginalising
other community engagement/community research activities. Community engagement is more a
choice than a prescribed compulsion for the European university, and risks getting lost in the noise
of markets, league-tables, rankings and competition. Strategies and actions to advance and reframe
community engagement in European universities need, among others, changes in the university’s
organisational structure, an evaluation system to recognise and reward community engagement,
incentivise national and regional networks, and encourage private and public funders that university
civic engagement programmes are a promising investment opportunity.5
Pic 3: Dr Cristina Escrigas, Executive director, GUNi
5
Dr Cristina Escrigas, Advisor, Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi), Barcelona presented the European experience based on
GUNi’s 5th
Higher Education report. Her presentation can be accessed at http://www.slideshare.net/PRIAIndia/cristina-escrigas-cbr-
capacity-building?related=4

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“We want to do community based resources, but always ask where are the resources going to come
from? From more alliances and relationships! From building champions, particularly the students,
who are more keen to undertake community based research. It is the faculty and institution that
needs convincing,” said Dr Carol Ma, Associate Director, Service-Learning, Lingnan University in Hong
Kong, speaking from her experience over the last decade in raising resources from different sources
to make the Office of Service-Learning at Lingnan University self-funded.6
“It is through building
relationships when explaining to my fellow colleagues what community based research is that
different academicians at Lingnan University have now begun to cherish the cause of community
based research within the university.” To promote community based research it is essential to create
champions in different departments, who form a team and share information with each other.
Within the academic institutional structure, there is also need for division of labour. “In Lingnan
University, there are different departments that promote community based research with other
universities in Hong Kong, that promote it regionally and those which promote it at the international
level,” she said. “Ultimately, to mobilise resources we need to passionately believe in what we are
doing, be persistent, be energetic and be willing to change.”
Pic 4: Dr Carol Ma, Associate Director, Service-Learning, Lingnan University in Hong Kong
“Let us be careful though in use of the terms ‘champion’ and ‘intellectual’ in the context of
promoting community based research, as they have different meanings,” said Walter Lepore, from
University of Victoria, Canada. “Champion connotes competition, but community based research is
about collaboration. The conventional idea of the ‘intellectual’ is ‘the one who thinks’. But, in reality,
an intellectual is the one who makes you think. Therefore, anyone can be an intellectual, even from
the community. We should also use the term ‘smart practices’, rather than ‘best practices’,” he said.
“We need to get university colleagues excited about community engagement. If you want people to
buy into the idea of community based research, then it has to be sold on the basis of some exciting
ideas,” says Prof. Surajit Sarkar, from the Centre for Community Knowledge, Ambedkar University,
6
Carol Ma’s presentation made on the occasion can be accessed at http://www.slideshare.net/PRIAIndia/carol-ma-cbr-capacity-
building?related=3

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New Delhi. For example, some of the buildings in Ambedkar University have historical value,
particularly the building which houses the Dara Shikoh Library. A university is an intellectual space
for the public. Therefore, a person like Dara Shikoh, who was erudite and a great collector of books,
becomes a symbol that can be used to interest people in collecting alternative histories. The centre
has undertaken some community knowledge documentation projects and different departments of
the university were encouraged to get involved in these projects. The Neighbourhood Museum
Programme of the centre worked with community based organisations to build linkages with the
community and academicians. Being a government funded institution, Ambedkar University has also
been able to build linkages with government programmes (such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) and
collaborate with other government funded institutions (such as Delhi Urban Arts Commission).
“Community based research can be promoted by keeping our antennae up on what is being missed
through conventional research. For this, we need to be innovative in how we use information we
have access to and in building partnerships,” Dr Sarkar said.
Pic 5: Dr Surajit Sarkar, Ambedkar University, New Delhi
Dr Andrea Varigu, from University of Sassari, Italy, likened the opening up of spaces for community
based research to the concept of the “subtle art of tenants”. “Similar apartments given to tenants
are changed internally to reflect the needs and cultures of the tenants. Each tenant inhabits their
space according to their inner personalities. Similarly, promoters and practitioners of community
based research can create and use their own spaces within the structure of the university,” he said.
The Community-University Expo (CUE) organised by the Office for Community Based Research at the
University of Victoria, Canada, has been a successful initiative to promote community based
research. Held every two to three years, research partners and the community come together at this
event to discuss ideas and practical issues for community based research. “The first event drew only
about 300 participants across Canada; the fifth event to be held later in 2015 has drawn nearly a
1000 participants,” informed Prof. Budd Hall, UNESCO Co-Chair and Professor of Public

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Administration, University of Victoria. “Similar expos can be organised at regional, provincial and
local levels in India and other countries.”
“Spaces for community-university interaction are important,” agreed Prof. Devi Prasad, from Tata
Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. “Such spaces for promoting community based research in
universities in North America and Europe are restricted, as they are older, well established
institutions. New universities coming up in Africa and post-Communist societies, and private
universities in India, are institutions where such spaces can be promoted and opened up.”
There are other spaces, such as online spaces, where different kinds of knowledge that produce
social change have emerged over the past few years. “Community based research initiatives need to
engage with these new sites of knowledge as well, along with the community,” said Ranjita
Mohanty, independent scholar and practitioner.
Many students, institutions and academics come together in different events. “How are we engaging
with them, and using these opportunities to promote community based research and inculcate the
importance of participatory research? Academic staff colleges which train administrative/
government officials should also be engaged with to promote community based research,” said
Anshuman Karol, from PRIA, New Delhi, emphasising the need to use the power of networks.
Role of Civil Society Organisations in Promoting Community Based Research
Civil society organisations are a wonderful space for the experiential learning of participatory
research.
If we are going to resolve social challenges, new partnerships and collaborations between academia
and civil society organidations are required. For example, participatory research can be used to
understand the structural aspects of poverty in the search for livelihood solutions. “There is a need
for some ‘grand ideas’. Generating such ideas would require understanding inequality and
participatory research is a powerful tool to bring people together in exploring this understanding,”
said Mr Jagadananda, Member Secretary, Centre for Youth & Social Development (CYSD).
“Last month when I visited a village in rural Odisha, the most recent development project I was
shown in the village was a common shelter for cattle. When asked, the community were very happy
with the shelter but were not going to use the shelter, since they did not wish to keep their cattle
together in a common space. Three other such common shelters remain unutilised in the village.
There are many other such examples, all of which show that in India, even after 65 years of
independence, development in the name of the community hardly ever reaches the community and
research is still not conceived keeping the community centre-stage. Recently, many universities in
India have started schools of development studies and public policy research. This is a good moment
for civil society to engage with them institutionally. Academic institutions need to commit to
community based research along with civil society organisations. Responsibility lies with civil society
to be able to leverage this.”

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Pic 6: Mr Jagadananda, Member Secretary, Centre for Youth & Social Development (CYSD)
Integrating participatory research into academia and the work of civil society organisations requires
civil society organisations and participatory researchers networking together. Isolated
researchers/institutions and civil society organisations devoted to promoting and practicing
participatory research is not sufficient. The Network of Collaborating Regional Service Organisations
(NCRSOs) is trying to roll out participatory research and participatory training, and building bridges
with civil society organisations and communities. More such efforts are required. Community
monitoring of educational institutions is also important.
Civil society organisations also need to engage more with local governance institutions and move
towards people-centred advocacy. “Advocacy is not just required at the international/UN level, but
also at the local governance level. Here, demystification of people’s needs/demands to the local
authorities is an important role civil society organisations can play,” said Mr Jagdananda.
“I urge you to act on your own to promote community based research but also build networks and
work collectively to make visible alternative methodologies of research,” said Dr Rajesh Tandon,
UNESCO Co-Chair, welcoming all the ideas shared during the day. “It is equally important,” he
stressed, “to keep having such conversations to keep us motivated and enthused.”

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ANNEXURE 1: Programme Design
Building Capacities Of The Next Generation Of Community-Based Participatory Researchers
PRIA Conference Hall, PRIA, New Delhi
April 10, 2015
10.30 a.m. – 11.00 a.m. PRIA-logue: Participatory Research In Action: Where Is the Future?
Conversation between Prof Budd L Hall and Dr Rajesh Tandon
11.00 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. Q&A with audience
11.30 a.m. – 11.45 a.m.
Current Issues in Capacity Building in Participatory Research
Global Status of Capacity Building in Participatory Research
Mr Walter Lepore, Research Scholar, University of Victoria, Canada
12.00 noon – 12.15 p.m. Teaching Participatory Research: Issues and Challenges
Dr Andrea Vargiu, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of
Sassari, Sassari, Italy
12.15 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Open discussion
1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m. Lunch
2.00 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. Panel discussion: Mobilising Resources for Building Capacity in Community-based
Participatory Research
Experiences from Europe by Dr Cristina Escrigas, Advisor, Global University Network
for Innovation (GUNi), Barcelona
Experiences from Hong Kong by Dr Carol Ma, Associate Director, Service-Learning
(OSL), Lingnan University in Hong Kong, China
Experiences of civil society by Mr Jagadananda, Member Secretary,
Centre for Youth & Social Development (CYSD), Odisha
The role of universities by Dr Surajit Sarkar, Associate Professor, Ambedkar
University, New Delhi
2.45 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Open discussion
4.00 p.m. Closing comments

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ANNEXURE 2: List of Participants
S.No. Name Designation
1. Mr Abhishek Kumar Asst Programme Manager, PRIA, Chhattisgarh
Email: abhishek.kumar@pria.org
2. Dr Ajay Kumar Director, GAE, SSS,
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
Email: ajayritwik@gmail.com
3. Mr Amitabh Bhushan Programme Manager, PRIA, Bihar
Email: amitabh.bhushan@pria.org
4. Dr Andrea Vargiu Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche e Sociali
Università degli Studi di Sassari
Piazza Conte di Moriana 8, 07100 Sassari
T + 39 (0)79 229662 /F + 39 (0)79 229660
Email: avargiu@uniss.it; larvanet@tin.it
5. Dr Anshuman Karol Programme Manager, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: anshuman.karol@pria.org
6. Ms Aparna Program Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: aparna@pria.org
7. Dr Budd Hall Co-Chair, UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and
Social Responsibility in Higher Education
Professor of Community Development
School of Public Administration
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
Tel: +1 2507218062
Email: bhall@uvic.ca
8. Dr Carol Ma Hok Ka Associate Director
Service-Learning (OSL)
Lingnan University in Hong Kong, China
Tel: 2616 8059
Email: carolma@ln.edu.hk
9. Dr Cristina Escrigas Project Development Advisor
Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi)
Sant Leopold Pavillion (S1)
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
St. Antoni Maria Claret, 167
E-08025 – Barcelona, SPAIN
Phone. +34 93 401 71 03
Email: cristina.escrigas@upc.edu
10. Dr Devi Prasad Professor, School of Social Work
TISS
Mumbai
Mob: 09702871115
Email: bdeviprasad2@gmail.com
11. Mr Ferdinand Caillot Intern, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: ferdinand.caillot@pria.org
12. Mr Harsh Jaitli Chief Executive Officer
Voluntary Action Network India (VANI)
BB-5, Ist Floor, Greater Kailash Enclave-II
New Delhi 110 048
Phone: 011-29228127, 29226632,
Telefax: 41435535
Email: harsh@vaniindia.org
Website: www.vaniindia.org
13. Mr Jagadanada Member Secretary
Centre for Youth & Social Development, (CYSD)
E 1, Nayapalli (Near Survey Bhawan)
Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) Post,
Bhubaneswar - 751 013
Tel: 0674-2300983,

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F- 674-2301226
Mob: 9437022983
Email : jagada@cysd.org; jagadaj@gmail.com
14. Ms Jane Schukoske CEO
SM Sehgal Foundation
Plot No.34, Sector 44, Institutional Area
Gurgaon, Haryana – 122003
Tel : 91-124-4744100
Fax : 91-124-4744123
Website : www.smsfoundation.org
Email: j.schukoske@irrad.org
15. Dr Kaustuv Kanti Bandyopadhyay Director, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: kaustuv.bandyopadhyay@pria.org
16. Ms Krati Sharma Programme Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: krati.sharma@pria.org
17. Dr Martha Farrell Director, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: martha.faarrell@pria.org
18. Ms Molly Maguire-Marshall Intern, PRIA, Rajasthan
Email: molly.mag.mar@gmail.com
19. Dr Namrata Jaitli Head-Programmes
Charities Aid Foundation India
No:136, IInd Floor Vishal House,
Jamrudpur, New Delhi 110 048 India
Phone: +91 11 29233392-95 Ext: 104
Fax: + 29233396
Email: namrata.jaitli@cafindia.org Web: www.cafindia.org
20. Ms Nandita Pradhan Bhatt Programme Manager, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: nandita.bhatt@pria.org
21. Dr Pahi Saikia Assistant Professor (Political Science)
Department of HSS,
IIT Guwahati
Assam
Tel: 0361-258-2573
Email: pahi@iitg.ernet.in
22. Dr Pradeep Mehta Director
Sehgal Foundation
Rural Research Center
Email: p.mehta@smsfoundation.org
23. Ms Priti Sharma Sr. Programme Manager, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: piall@pria.org
24. Dr Ranjita Mohanty Email: ranjitamohanty@hotmail.com
25. Dr Ranveer Singh Programme Manager, PRIA, Rajasthan
Email: ranveer.singh@pria.org
26. Dr Sandra Joseph Associate Professor
Dept of Social Work
Stella Maris College
17, Cathedral Road
Chennai 600 086, Tamilnadu
Ph: 044-28111987/28111951
Email: sanjose.smc@gmail.com
27. Ms Sanjukta Basu Sr. Programme Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: sanjukta.basu@pria.org
28. Mr Satheesan T. Project Monitoring Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: satheesan.t@pria.org
29. Ms Shivani Singh Programme Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: shivani.singh@pria.org
30. Dr Sujit Kumar Paul Associate Professor, Department of Social Work & Rural
Development
Vishwa Bharti University, Sriniketan, West Bengal
Email: sujit_kakali@rediffmail.com
31. Ms Sumedha Sharma Programme Coordinator
Special Projects - ASPBAE 50th Anniversary

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Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education
(ASPBAE)
Mob: 9873007757
Email: sumedha.aspbae@gmail.com
Website: www.aspbae.org
32. Dr Surajit Sarkar Associate Professor
Ambedkar University, New Delhi
Email: surajit.cck@aud.ac.in
33. Ms Swathi Subramaniam Programme Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: swathi.subramaniam@pria.org
34. Mr Syed Zakir Hussain Librarian, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: zakir.hussain@pria.org
35. Ms Wafa Singh Program Officer, PRIA, New Delhi
Email: wafa.singh@pria.org
36. Mr Walter Lepore Research Scholar, University of Victoria (UVic)
#310 – 1020 Burdett Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8V 3H1 Canada
778-433-6578 • 250-891-9498
Email: walepore@uvic.ca

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