A blog post from Helen Berry, Binks Hub doctoral researcher.
At the end of March 2024, the Binks Hub partnered with the Third Sector Research Forum to host a Participatory Research Roundtable event, bringing together 25 practitioners of participatory research working in, or with, the third sector.
Delegates and their work crisscrossed the traditional boundaries between activists-community researchers and professional researchers; sectors; disciplines; and communities of place, identity and experience. Despite the many layered factors situating participants’ experiences, our shared concern with ethical, meaningful, caring and careful participatory research practice created points of connection and synergy, leading to rich discussion.
This work can be messy
My enduring reflections concern the active and generous nature of the discussion and the ready appetite for this kind of space, as well as participants’ willingness to hold the lively possibilities of participatory research while not smoothing out the lived realities. Discussions skipped quickly to structural and system issues that sit in tension with the principles of participatory research, including an uneven and not-quite-aligned funding landscape. Participants applied a critical lens to questions of when and how to meaningfully involve communities, activists, or experts-by-experience in research, reflecting the need for a clear rationale and transparency.
Third sector organisations often have long-standing experience of working alongside communities of place and interest whose experiences are unheard, and it is in this relatedness that the sector can excel. Participants were able to share good examples of support structures for participation and participatory research developed within their organisations as part of this work.
Practice examples from Poverty Alliance and Youthlink Scotland
The event combined an opportunity to share in-depth practice examples with discussion around themes identified through an earlier survey of the Third Sector Research Forum members, such as language and definitions, ethics, funding, and practice.
The Poverty Alliance and YouthLink Scotland shared examples of community and youth-led research projects respectively. Laura and Shazia of Rights in Action highlighted the barriers to further and higher education experienced by the asylum seeker community, and the knowledge exchange models used by the project creating links to policy and practice. Amy and Connor of Imagine a Man explained how the boys and young men participating developed the research from the seed of an idea provided by YouthLink Scotland. They drew attention to the profound role of emotion in this research.
Laura and Amy reflect below on how it was to share their learning in conversation with peer researchers:
“The participatory research roundtable event was a great opportunity for Shazia and I to share our reflections on critical issues to consider when embarking on participatory research. In our conversation, we discussed the positive outcomes that participatory research can provide. The questions from other attendees at the event also helpfully opened a space to reflect on challenges around impact and empowerment through participatory research.”
“Being part of the event was a great opportunity to have time to reflect with Connor about what being part of Imagine a Man meant to him and the young people he supported. Hearing Connor share the project's impact on the young people who took part was a reminder of the transformative nature of participatory research. Being part of the youth-led research helped provide the young people with the safe and also brave space to explore positive masculinity, the confidence to start community conversations and the opportunity to think critically and share their reflections.”
The start of a conversation
The Binks Hub was able to host the event in the new home of the Edinburgh Futures Institute in the Old Royal Infirmary, bridging access to the physical resources of the University of Edinburgh, and provide support in the form of Jenny Capon, a visual artist invited to create a graphic minute summarising the discussion. This minute will inform the next steps by scaffolding further, asynchronous conversations regarding the support and networking needs of third sector practitioners of participatory research.
The need for this networking is underpinned by the fragmentation of participatory research into pockets of practice, meaning that practitioners navigating this demanding work may not always benefit from being part of a wider community of practice.
Reflections from the hosts
Gary Walsh, who facilitates Third Sector Research Forum on behalf of Evaluation Support Scotland, considers this event the first step in a journey towards building that community of practice:
“This event has prompted me to think more about the role of the Third Sector Research Forum in supporting participatory research taking place across the sector. There seems to be a need for direct support such as training and funding; but there also seems to be a need for indirect support such as having spaces to share practice, reflect, and discuss questions. There are interesting links to explore between participatory research and other topics being discussed among forum members such as third sector research ethics, research methods and the role of third sector research in the policy making process. I think these are all ripe for further discussion, and it is particularly helpful to be able to do so among supportive peers and colleagues. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can develop these discussions further.”
Dr Emma Davidson, co-director of the Binks Hub, reflects on the event in light of her intentions for the Binks Hub to contribute to capacity for arts-engaged and participatory research across sectoral divides:
“There is no shortage of participatory research taking place throughout the third sector, government and academia. What we do less well is take the opportunity to reflect collectively on our practice. How do we each define ‘participatory research’? Under what circumstances can it happen, and be successful? And more crucially, what does ‘success’ look like to different people across different contexts?
"For conversations such as this to flourish, we need time – a commodity often in short supply! Slowing down can give us space to process the messiness of participatory research and nurture relationships outside of formal project funding parameters. Our view at the Binks Hub is that this will ultimately improve the quality of research and contribute to a healthier working culture. We hope this event is the start of such a culture.”
It's all about relationships
As highlighted by the visual minute, this event was “the start of a conversation”. Just as participatory research is all about relationships, so too are communities of practice – and they are much-needed in these brave spaces of exploration, experimentation and learning.
To join the Third Sector Research Forum or find out more, visit the Evaluation Support Scotland website.
