Setting the scene

One of the most telling things about CBPR is the transformative nature of relationships in the research cycle. Community members are collaborators or co-investigators with academics rather than the passive respondents they tend to be in more traditional forms of academic research. Community members are active participants in all stages of the research cycle. In this research collaboration relationships are understood to be between equals, with each collaborator bringing something different to the partnership. In essence the CBPR approach of PLWs focuses on the development of community research capacity in order to create understanding of the social environment and knowledge of lived experiences for the purpose of effecting social change/policy reform.

Understanding Scenario-based PLWs

In this project, we adopt an active learning approach to PLWs. Each workshop not only introduces participants to ‘doing’ CBPR but also provides communities with the opportunity to discuss community issues and find solutions to community problems that they have  identified as of import. Before the scenario component of each workshop, interactive introductions to: CBPR; community media; community/university partnerships; and research ethics were given. In this way participants received contextualised learning opportunities and were able embrace their participation as active members of the research team. These sessions were worked into the PLW programme at the request of our community partners.

Each scenario-based PLWs comprise a pre-set scenario drawn from and shaped by previous  interactions with participating community members. In this project, the scenarios for each of the two PLWs discussed here were shaped by the outputs from the research planning meetings and the community conversations discussed on earlier pages. The scenarios provide:

• platforms for communities to explore issues relating the modern slavery;
• opportunities to discuss community aspirations and needs;
• the chance to identify possible solutions; and
• potential pathways to effective social change.

After the interactive introduction to a chosen topic (see above), the workshop schedule is offered for comment. The  scenario is then presented to participants in plenary session, followed by an opportunity for any questions or comments that might arise. When all participants are happy with the process, they break into group spaces where the scenario is discussed and any tasks contained within the scenario narrative are considered and addressed.

At the start of these group sessions, it is a good idea for participants to introduce themselves and what they are hoping to contribute and gain from the workshops. A rapporteur for each group should be agreed. It is their task to report the group’s discussions back to the plenary session. There can be more than one rapporteur. In our experience, most participants take their own notes and like to support their rapporteur with contributions and/or clarifications. The group should also appoint a workshop facilitator. Their main tasks are to ensure that group discussions flow and are kept on point but flexibly. Sometimes discussions moving off at a tangent can be very productive, so the facilitator needs to know when to let discussions flow and when to guide them back to the scenario. It is also the facilitator’s role to ensure that all voices are heard and no-one person or group dominates the discussions.

After a set period of time, in this case – 90 minutes, groups return to the plenary session and the rapporteurs presents their group’s thoughts/findings. These are then discussed and the process repeated for each group.This not only facilitates an opportunity to present their group’s thoughts but also enables them to listen to the thoughts of others and reflect critically on what has been shared.

If time permits, groups can reform for a shorter period in order to reflect on: a) the feedback on their presentations, from the other groups; and b) the similarities and differences between groups to the scenario.

If time does not allow for a second group  breakout session, this can be worked into the plenary discussions. In this project, we did not have time for a second group breakout session as the rains had started to move in and participants needed to return to their homesteads, many some distance away. We did however, work reflections into the final plenary session, enabling us to reach a consensus about modern slavery in the community; plan and organize future strategies for the collection of community stories; and how this might be achieved using community media. After each of the workshops we asked participants to reflect on the process. To think about what they had learnt and how things might be improved.