Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities
Empowering communities to respond to humanitarian crises is one of the core principles of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In response to large numbers of refugees resettling in Canada from Syria as they fled its civil war, a community-based research partnership was initiated to exam...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1164485/full |
| _version_ | 1797672336941383680 |
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| author | Sophie Yohani Anna Kirova Rebecca Georgis Rebecca Gokiert Mischa Taylor Sabah Tahir |
| author_facet | Sophie Yohani Anna Kirova Rebecca Georgis Rebecca Gokiert Mischa Taylor Sabah Tahir |
| author_sort | Sophie Yohani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Empowering communities to respond to humanitarian crises is one of the core principles of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In response to large numbers of refugees resettling in Canada from Syria as they fled its civil war, a community-based research partnership was initiated to examine the psychosocial needs and adaptation processes of Syrian individuals and families. In this article, we introduce Community Learning for Empowerment Groups (CLEGs) as a methodological innovation in participatory research partnerships and demonstrate how they can be used to harvest local knowledge and create critical spaces for transformative learning. We describe the process of co-creating CLEGs with seven recently resettled Syrian community leaders, examples of their implementation, and lessons learned in our community-based participatory research (CBPR). Grounded in a transformative paradigm, our CBPR project occurred over three phases of implementation. Activities undertaken by the research team in phase one aimed at empowering the leaders through a “train-the trainer” and collaborative learning approach to lead CLEGs in phase two. Focus groups were held with leaders in phase two to explore their experiences leading CLEGs. Discussions in focus groups revealed that leaders were empowered to adapt their learning from phase one according to their group dynamics and personal leadership style. Deepened insights and new facilitation approaches were evidence of leaders’ growth, as exemplified in the focus groups. Leaders were able to support their groups to generate and, in some cases, implement community-based solutions to their groups’ psychosocial challenges. Community Learning for Empowerment Groups are a promising model for supporting power sharing and knowledge co-construction in participatory research partnerships. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:28:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1cc2bb883b0d4c2ba8d3213e5f4bdca5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:28:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-1cc2bb883b0d4c2ba8d3213e5f4bdca52023-09-27T12:37:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2023-09-01810.3389/feduc.2023.11644851164485Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communitiesSophie Yohani0Anna Kirova1Rebecca Georgis2Rebecca Gokiert3Mischa Taylor4Sabah Tahir5Faculty of Education, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaFaculty of Education, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaSchool of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, United KingdomSchool of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaFaculty of Education, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaMulticultural Health Brokers Cooperative, Edmonton, AB, CanadaEmpowering communities to respond to humanitarian crises is one of the core principles of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In response to large numbers of refugees resettling in Canada from Syria as they fled its civil war, a community-based research partnership was initiated to examine the psychosocial needs and adaptation processes of Syrian individuals and families. In this article, we introduce Community Learning for Empowerment Groups (CLEGs) as a methodological innovation in participatory research partnerships and demonstrate how they can be used to harvest local knowledge and create critical spaces for transformative learning. We describe the process of co-creating CLEGs with seven recently resettled Syrian community leaders, examples of their implementation, and lessons learned in our community-based participatory research (CBPR). Grounded in a transformative paradigm, our CBPR project occurred over three phases of implementation. Activities undertaken by the research team in phase one aimed at empowering the leaders through a “train-the trainer” and collaborative learning approach to lead CLEGs in phase two. Focus groups were held with leaders in phase two to explore their experiences leading CLEGs. Discussions in focus groups revealed that leaders were empowered to adapt their learning from phase one according to their group dynamics and personal leadership style. Deepened insights and new facilitation approaches were evidence of leaders’ growth, as exemplified in the focus groups. Leaders were able to support their groups to generate and, in some cases, implement community-based solutions to their groups’ psychosocial challenges. Community Learning for Empowerment Groups are a promising model for supporting power sharing and knowledge co-construction in participatory research partnerships.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1164485/fullempowermentrefugeescommunity-based participatory researchpsychosocial adaptationtransformational paradigmcommunity engagement |
| spellingShingle | Sophie Yohani Anna Kirova Rebecca Georgis Rebecca Gokiert Mischa Taylor Sabah Tahir Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities Frontiers in Education empowerment refugees community-based participatory research psychosocial adaptation transformational paradigm community engagement |
| title | Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| title_full | Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| title_fullStr | Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| title_short | Creating community learning for empowerment groups: an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| title_sort | creating community learning for empowerment groups an innovative model for participatory research partnerships with refugee communities |
| topic | empowerment refugees community-based participatory research psychosocial adaptation transformational paradigm community engagement |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1164485/full |
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