Participatory Action Research (PAR) is...an interactive process for planning, facilitating, and assessing programs & community initiatives based on a cycle of observations, inquiry forming, data collection, data analysis, and action. PAR is an ongoing process that involves all major players (youth included!) In PAR, the process is the product, and findings are based on qualitative data - including personal experiences, opinions and reflections. PAR can be implemented to establish, measure, and assess expected outcomes of program managers, instructors, and participants.
Our hope is that PAR will allow organizations to engage young people in decision-making processes that affect their lives and to integrate youth voice into the creation of strategies and policies in a meaningful way. We are committed to youth PAR participants seeing the power in using their voices for action! Participatory Action Research was founded as an “alternative paradigm” to classic subject-object research*. PAR founders aimed to flip the power imbalance of traditional research in their quest for social justice. PAR relates directly to the principles of Education for Liberation and the work of Paulo Freire, whose Methodology “See, Analyze, Act” was a cornerstone of Catholic Activism in Brazil in the 1960s. With PAR, the conductors of the research are the subjects themselves, investigating issues that matter to them and in which they are the experts. The result of PAR is a powerful set of findings that can guide stakeholders to move in a different direction, take actions based on what was discovered (including sharing findings and making policy recommendations), and invest in areas that contribute to the most desired outcomes. *Orlando Fals Borda was a strong proponent for Participatory Action Research in Colombia in the 1970s. He emphasized community action, social justice, and grassroots knowledge to be incorporated into research. |