What we are doing
The coalition is building an action plan to strengthen CBR and profile its achievements through engagement of its members in participatory, collaborative activities. The Action Plan focuses on four core activities: Building community-based research (CBR) capacity; mobilizing knowledge on CBR practices and outcomes; influencing policy and institutional environments to strengthen support to CBR, and; providing networking and learning opportunities. Specific work is being explored on:
- Creating a space for existing CBR interests to work together in their sector or area of focus (e.g. health, Aboriginal languages, environmental sustainability, social development, community economic development, science and democracy) to communicate amongst themselves their practices, outcomes, findings and interests.
- Mapping CBR arrangements in universities and colleges.
- Profiling practices and examples of CBR and the outcomes being achieved for different communities and fields of research.
- Engaging community and civil society partners in reflecting on issues and requirements for effective CBR.
- Producing recommendations on improving tenure arrangements for community based scholarship in universities.
- Engaging universities and government departments responsible for post secondary education in exploring how to strengthen community university partnerships.
- Planning a series of community based research learning events and networking opportunities that take advantage of other national conferences.
- Developing policy recommendations for strengthening support to community-based research by research councils and other government institutions.
Members of CBRC met in Ottawa on May 25 and helped organize a symposium "From Recession to Renewal: The Vital Contribution of Community Based Research" sponsored by the Community-Based Research Network of Ottawa and the Faculty of Public Affairs Carleton University. A report commissioned by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council on "The Funding and Development of Community University Research Partnerships in Canada" was presented and discussed that recommends next steps to strengthen community-based research, available on our "Resources" page.
The Global Alliance for Community-Engaged Research is also developing an Action Plan that involves a series of case studies on community-engaged research in different parts of the world, and a policy paper for presentations in national and international settings on how higher education can strengthen its role in sustainable development through community and civil engagement [link]. An first version of this paper "Higher Education, Community Engagement and the World We Want" has been presented at UNESCO's World Conference on Higher Education in July 2009 and is available on our "Resources" page.
The next Global Alliance meeting and International Community Based Research Institute will take place in conjunction with the Living Knowledge Conference, Belfast August 26 from 1 pm in the Old Staff Commons Room at Queens University. This will be an opportunity to review the report on higher education policy, case studies and other research that the Alliance have been undertaking, and join in planning future work and activities.