Doing community research: Involving the community

This reflection is on Chapter 23, "Asset Building in Rural Communities through Participatory Research" from our textbook Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets by Scales and Streeter (2004).

I choose to write about this chapter because it spoke to me regarding the work I am doing with Former Foster Students on campus at Humboldt State University.

According to Scales and Streeter (2004), participatory research "places a community's greatest asset, its people, in control of the knowledge building work" (p. 290). What a novel idea!

I have been getting to know a small portion of students on campus who came through the Foster Care system. I helped to resurrect the Former Foster Youth Club which we recently renamed E.L.I.T.E. (Excelling & Living Independently Through Education). I have been spending time with them doing various activities and traveling to conferences which has helped us to build a relationship built on trust. Our common goal is to be part of the process of building support on campus to address this particular populations needs.

Back to this chapter: The classic model (positivist) of community development is contrasted with participatory research. The positivist model separates the experts from the community and the relationship is vertical or top-down. This is not only based on dominance and colonialism thinking; it isn't very effective for several reasons. The needs are defined by the experts and not by the people affected. Interviewers are placed from outside the community, so trust issues interfere with any feedback. And, this kind of research process fails to include the very people who the research was being conducted on. Doesn't sound very effective does it?

First and foremost in contrast, the participatory model views dialogue as important between experts and the community. This requires a horizontal relationship. This takes time to build, especially in rural communities. According to Scales and Streeter (2004), The relationship is based on "love" "humility" "mutual trust" and "faith" (p. 291-Freirr, 2000). Essential is the understanding that community needs to design it's own future and is capable. It is the job of the expert to build trust over time and empower the people in what ever way is needed. Sometimes experts will include training, promotion of the shared overarching purpose, aim and objectives. In a focus group, "sessions [are] conducted in a semi structured and open-ended manner intended to elicit the greatest degree of input form the focus group participants" (p. 298). Sounds empowering right?!

"Participatory research was designed to invest ordinary people with the power to create knowledge by using their own assets and participating as researchers" (p. 300-301). Anyone who is reading this and conducting research about a community--I challenge you to look closely at your process and make sure that you are working from a participatory model!

Reflections on Chapter 11: Using Networks and Networking by Hardcastle & Powers (2004)

This chapter offers an important focus and useful tools of assessment! It's about the role of a social-worker and the need to assist clients in the assessment, development, and management of social networks. The authors make the claim that the above listed is "the crux of social work practice" (p. 293). And they mention that networking is the "holism of social work's person-in environment (P-I-E) perspective" (p. 293). The chapter also reviews the social network theory.

When working in agencies it is necessary to understand that "power in networks is an ability to get resources, influence, and get things done in the network" (p. 296). One of the reasons why social work is so important is that often individuals have little power in isolation and the need for organizations and coalitions to assist in the development of balancing power and access to resources.

"Coser(1964) has asserted that, as the world becomes more interdependent and closer, there will be a greater need for rules of conflict and for conflict resolution" (p. 302). Hardcastle and Powers provide strategies and insights to how responses to conflicts can create positive exchanges and negative exchanges. "A win-win strategy involves using collaboration and cooperation, where focusing on similar contestant needs and sharing of resources becomes a means of conflict resolution" (p.303). In discussion of strategies the authors posit that "bargaining and negotiation skills are crucial to social work advocacy and practice"(p. 304). And further explain that bargaining "requires clarity of communication between the parties, a willingness to compromise and see areas of agreement and middle ground, and a mutual recognition of legitimacy of the parties to bargain" (p. 304). Hardcastle and Powers continue to provide detailed strategies on the next few pages. One aspect that really spoke to me is to take the time to not rush into premature solutions and to not be premature with offering too much in the beginning as a way to maintain bargaining power. Worth mentioning also is that "conflict is critically necessary for the socially marginalized in changing the status quo" (p. 302). And lastly,

"social supports are positively associated with mental health and mental health gains"(p. 308).

Types of social supports are listed as "emotional aid, material aid, information, and companionship" (p. 310). "Social mapping techniques are commonly used to assess social support networks" (p. 312).

Most of this personally seems like common sense--but maybe I take this for granted? Yet the chapter does provide tools for assessment and important aspects of assessment, development and management of social networks. In addition, negative relationships of the marginalized to the welfare state and resources, is dependant in nature, therefore the need to use empowering practices when working with clients is warranted.

Reflections on Chapter 10-Using Work Groups:Committees, Teams, and Boards from my textbook: Community Practice by Hardcastle & Powers (2004)

I first give credit to my Professor Dr. Itin. He taught me not to fear conflict in a group process and further helped me to understand that conflict is just part of the process and if handled well can help groups to be effective. I never tire learning how to handle various conflicts and in my text they provide case examples our how to deal with various situations or roles that are common in a group process.

I have had my fair share of conflicts gone bad and I have always tried to avoid conflict. I don't lean towards working alone when provided the choice and to me there is nothing better than a team that works well together. One reason is because I value the opportunities to learn from others and see the possibilities of bringing together different perspectives and ideas. Often others have thought of something I would never have thought of and this is what I really value. Yet, this whole process of needing structure, buy-in, respect, shared collaboration sometimes is just quite a challenge within a group. It takes a lot of courage to bring up issues that are tense in a group, for fear that the group will turn on the person who is trying to mediate.

So as dorky as this sounds I love this stuff--I would love to learn how to gain skills so that I could help in any group I am in so that cooperation and consensus flows well.

Hardcastle and powers write "How many times have you gone to a meeting and left with the feeling that it was a waste of time? Nothing was accomplished. When this happens, frequently it is because whoever was responsible for running the meeting did not think through the specific decisions to be made at the meeting or could not facilitate the decision-making process effectively." So all of you out there in the leadership roles--which will be many of my co-horts after we graduate from the MSW program at HSU--We need to get our act together! This statement hit home for me. And I hate to say this I have been in that leadership role and made mistakes. The good news is that I can learn skills to be effective in this role. Another point that Hardcastle and Powers bring up is that all members in a group process are responsible for helping the process to be effective. So even if you are not in the leadership role--you potentially have the power to help group process or harm group process.

It's good to understand the stages of group development. A good reference is from Tuckman 1965--who describes the stages as Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, & Adjournment. I learned this from my Professor Itin as well--These stages of development continue to be taught today. By learning about the stages it helps to see what is important to accomplish at each stage and can help with understanding why a group process is not working well--Maybe something was not accomplished at a particular stage.

On pages 286, Hardcastle & Powers (2004) three common group problems are discussed with a scenario--then they offer a study which evaluates whats happening and the assessment which identifies underlying issues. Then they offer several interventions and discuss the possible outcomes of each decision. I found this to be very helpful and I would recommend this section highly to all of my co-horts as well as to anyone interested in learning how to be an effective leader and strategies for intervention--even if you are not in a leadership role!

Here's to groups that work, here's to effective leadership, and may we never have to work in groups that we end up walking away with a feeling of wasting our time. If you do--ask yourself what you could have done differently.