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I work with organisations to build their own capacity to carry out participatory research or engagement. This works best when an organisation has a piece of research which they wish to carry out. I support them to carry out research through a mix of training, participatory planning and support, including troubleshooting when needed, and participatory data analysis. This kind of intervention is highly effective as it results in a newly skilled, experienced and motivated staff team, as well finding out the information the organisation needs. Each intervention usually involves me for between three and five days.

I developed this approach at the Centre for Development Studies of Swansea University and have delivered it in partnership with Cardiff University in recent years.

I have recently delivered a capacity building programme in participatory action research, in association with Cardiff University to:

 

• Techniquest, Cardiff

• Cardiff People’s First

• Caerphilly Communities First

 

Free Participatory Techniques Manual

In 2002, I engaged an associate, Jessica Mills, to write a user-friendly manual of frequently used participatory techniques

This booklet is a unique, free, resource which has been distributed to every participant in my training courses and in other ways. I have refined many of the techniques since 2002 but have always resisted the temptation to re-write the booklet because these methods are best learnt through practice, and each of us will adapt them in our own way. Better then to start with the simplest possible description.

 

Download the booklet here.

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