So Empowering Govan’s Communities’: a Community-led Research Project
Want to help design the work of organisations like GCIN? Got ideas about changes you’d like to see in Govan? Want to learn useful skills? Enjoy learning with others?
Empowering Govan’s Communities is a community-led research project which facilitates community members to be active in understanding and creating what GCIN does and how it does it. Since June 2015 our action researchers (all of whom are members of the community) have been designing and developing a research project which aims to understand community issues. In the coming months our role will be to analyse the information we’ve collected and respond to it through action.
Stay posted on the GCIN Blog for what we’ve been up to recently.
Get in touch with nicky@gcin.org.uk if you'd like to participate in this project.
About the project...
GCIN has been working to support the local community for a number of years now.
In spring 2015, with our renewed purpose - ‘To achieve social justice in Govan and Craigton by building a strong community based on equality, mutual respect, support and integration.’ – we believed it was time to find out if we were really meeting the needs of the community as effectively as possible and to explore how we could more successfully involve community members in all levels of the organisation, and more broadly in community decision-making. In order to do this we identified Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a potential method for involving community members in the gathering of knowledge and the delivery of action. You can read more about PAR here:
In April 2015 we were awarded funding through the Voluntary Action Fund to deliver the first cycle of Participatory Action Research. Our hope that this first cycle will give our volunteers and the organisation the opportunity to develop skills, capacity and experience which will enable GCIN to develop a culture of enquiry which goes far beyond this year.
A bit about our current research journey…
Starting in June, project volunteers began identifying key areas they wanted to explore and designing research to gather knowledge in this area. Though a wide range of issues were identified, the Impact of the Asylum System was selected as a key focus. In relation to this issue the group developed 3 research questions:
Alongside our core research project we have also been exploring other questions, and research methods with different groups including using a Photovoice approach with the GCIN women’s group and duplo to gather views on GCIN’s future at our Annual General Meeting.
Participating in Empowering Govan’s Communities…
Empowering Govan’s Communities can only succeed with the involvement of community members. There are lots of good reasons to get involved as a volunteer or as a participant:
For volunteers the project is an opportunity to learn useful skills and meet new people, to build confidence and to play a more active role in the work of GCIN and the community.
For participants the project is an opportunity to have your voice heard and be part of improving what GCIN does and how GCIN does it.
For the community this project will ensure organisations like GCIN meet the real needs of community members and that everyone in the community can play a part in how organisations and the communities make decisions.
If you’d be interested in participating in Empowering Govan’s Communities either as a research participant or as a volunteer please get in touch with Nicky or Isabel
Nicky Tel: 07419373317 email: nicky@gcin.org.uk
Isabel Tel: 0141 445 3718 email: isabel@gcin.org.uk
Want to help design the work of organisations like GCIN? Got ideas about changes you’d like to see in Govan? Want to learn useful skills? Enjoy learning with others?
Empowering Govan’s Communities is a community-led research project which facilitates community members to be active in understanding and creating what GCIN does and how it does it. Since June 2015 our action researchers (all of whom are members of the community) have been designing and developing a research project which aims to understand community issues. In the coming months our role will be to analyse the information we’ve collected and respond to it through action.
Stay posted on the GCIN Blog for what we’ve been up to recently.
Get in touch with nicky@gcin.org.uk if you'd like to participate in this project.
About the project...
GCIN has been working to support the local community for a number of years now.
In spring 2015, with our renewed purpose - ‘To achieve social justice in Govan and Craigton by building a strong community based on equality, mutual respect, support and integration.’ – we believed it was time to find out if we were really meeting the needs of the community as effectively as possible and to explore how we could more successfully involve community members in all levels of the organisation, and more broadly in community decision-making. In order to do this we identified Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a potential method for involving community members in the gathering of knowledge and the delivery of action. You can read more about PAR here:
In April 2015 we were awarded funding through the Voluntary Action Fund to deliver the first cycle of Participatory Action Research. Our hope that this first cycle will give our volunteers and the organisation the opportunity to develop skills, capacity and experience which will enable GCIN to develop a culture of enquiry which goes far beyond this year.
A bit about our current research journey…
Starting in June, project volunteers began identifying key areas they wanted to explore and designing research to gather knowledge in this area. Though a wide range of issues were identified, the Impact of the Asylum System was selected as a key focus. In relation to this issue the group developed 3 research questions:
- What do people know about their rights in relation to the Asylum System?
- How can GCIN provide/enable better support to individuals in the Asylum System in Govan?
- What opportunities would support asylum seekers and refugees to participate (more fully) in the community?
Alongside our core research project we have also been exploring other questions, and research methods with different groups including using a Photovoice approach with the GCIN women’s group and duplo to gather views on GCIN’s future at our Annual General Meeting.
Participating in Empowering Govan’s Communities…
Empowering Govan’s Communities can only succeed with the involvement of community members. There are lots of good reasons to get involved as a volunteer or as a participant:
For volunteers the project is an opportunity to learn useful skills and meet new people, to build confidence and to play a more active role in the work of GCIN and the community.
For participants the project is an opportunity to have your voice heard and be part of improving what GCIN does and how GCIN does it.
For the community this project will ensure organisations like GCIN meet the real needs of community members and that everyone in the community can play a part in how organisations and the communities make decisions.
If you’d be interested in participating in Empowering Govan’s Communities either as a research participant or as a volunteer please get in touch with Nicky or Isabel
Nicky Tel: 07419373317 email: nicky@gcin.org.uk
Isabel Tel: 0141 445 3718 email: isabel@gcin.org.uk
