Introduction

Here we present stories of the community media-based participatory research methodology and the methods we designed and adopted in order to train our community partners as participating researchers and community media practitioners. The approach itself is not without its challenges, at the best of times, but these were much less daunting than the challenges presented by the COVID19 pandemic. We highlight this here because in eliciting stories of modern slavery from the community we were engaging with vulnerable people and building trust between researchers and story-sharers takes time and patience. Social distancing, lockdown regulations and fear of contracting the virus resulted in many participants withdrawing and put unnatural stress on the story-elcitation processes for the sharer of their stories and the reasearchers (community and academic). The podcasts presented in this series describe some of the methodological reasoning; the methods and their application; and the experiences and perceptions of some of the participants.

Podcast content

Click on each image below to view the video

1. An introduction to community media-based participatory research (CMBPR)
2. Presenting Scenario-based participatory learning workshops (PLWs)
3. Community Media 4 Kenya (CM4K): Empowering the voices of the marginalised through community media practice
4. Presenting community media practice participatory learning workshops (PLWs)
5. Community stories methodology – the view of a professional media producer
6. Community media practice – collecting stories: views from the field

Podcast #1

This is the first of 6 video podcasts that discuss the methodology and methods of the AntiSlavery Knowledge Network (AKN) ‘Community Stories of Modern Slavery’ research project. In this video, Dr Peter Day, the project PI, introduces Community Media-Based Participatory Research (CMBPR) and provides some contextualisation of the challenges of this approach as both communications for development project and investigation and the relationship between them.

Podcast #2

In this the second video podcast of the series, Peter Day presents scenario-based participatory learning workshops (PLWs) as a research method in a community development context. He shows how the workshop approach provides platforms that facilitate collaborative dialogue, critical thought and community learning among participants.

podcast #3

In this the third video podcast, Isabel Zattu Ziz discusses how she became involved in the Community Stories project through Community Media 4 Kenya (CM4K), and how community media practice is utilised in the investigation to facilitate the voices of the marginalised in Migori County, Kenya.

podcast #4

In the fourth of 6 video podcasts Isabel Zattu Ziz discusses how community media practice was taught using participatory learning workshop (PLW) approach. She presents the capcity building purpose of the workshops and reflects on how community media is contributing to the community through a community radio project.

podcast #5

The fifth of 6 video podcasts discusses the methodology and methods of the Anti-Slavery Knowledge Network (AKN) ‘Community Stories of Modern Slavery’ research project through the eyes of film and music producer and audio engineer, Mike McClaflin, from Mproducxons in Nairobi. Excited by the project, Mike highlights the significance of the community media approach and emphasises how important teaching communities about media is in this technological age.

podcast #6

In the sixth and final episode of the current video podcast series, Mike McClaflin, a film and music producer from Mproducxons in Nairobi, discusses working with inexperienced community participants; their enthusisam and thirst for knowledge. He reflects on practices from the field and shares the thoughts and experiences of 2 community participants.