Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement

Editorial: Building a model for dispersed openness

Margaret Malone — 2024-06-29

This Editorial explores the contribution an academic journal can make to critically engaged scholarship through critical self-reflection and innovation. Community-university engaged research and practice, no longer as marginalised as it once was, remains nonetheless institutionally precarious and the literature dominated by voices from the Global North. For this journal, with its stated aim of increasing the diversity of contributors to the scholarly literature, there is both a responsibility and an opportunity to innovate. This Editorial discusses two recent examples: writers’ workshops for manuscript development and the newly introduced ‘proposals’ section, where authors can gain early feedback on manuscript ideas.

Digital tools for knowledge exchange and sustainable public food procurement in community kindergartens: A case study in Słupsk, Poland

Joanna Suchomska — 2024-06-29

This article presents a case study on the experimental co-creation process of a digital platform supporting Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) in public kindergartens in a medium-sized city in Poland. The organisation of SPFP requires a dedicated technological infrastructure to ensure the information flow among food producers, kindergarten employees, children and parents. To this end, a digital platform was designed to enable contact, assessment of food quality and food procurement environmental impact, and the communication of needs and problems among all the actors involved in the food procurement system for kindergartens. The article also discusses the results of the field research and the method of Urban Living Labs, highlighting the key challenges faced by those seeking to combine knowledge about food and the natural environment with public food procurement. The principal difficulties include the availability, accessibility and possible application of data on the environmental costs of food production, the individualisation of needs and motivations related to public catering in educational facilities, and the specific nature of the public sector responsible for public food procurement.

Linkages with practice for higher-education curriculum innovation

Paul Nampala — 2024-08-21

This article is inspired by the debate on curriculum innovation for graduate training, emerging out of linkages between universities and agribusiness development actors, targeting entrepreneurial action and employability of graduates. Experiences from implementation of a three-year joint project are enriched by a desk review, stakeholder feedback and interpretative analysis of process documents during the development of the regional graduate curriculum on Agri-Enterprise Development for Egerton and Gulu Universities in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. The graduate curriculum at the two universities in East Africa integrated the approaches of roundtable engagement and research as well as value chain cluster mapping and development through interactive sharing with agribusiness development facilitators. Simultaneously, the two implementing universities showcased the feasibility of integrating community engagement and entrepreneurial skills into a new curriculum. They achieved this by adopting two training approaches from their previous, more limited curriculum, which lacked student entrepreneurial experiential learning. The outcome from the first cohort of students in the innovative programs demonstrates significant institutional change in teaching and learning approaches. These changes prioritize a blend of action research and theoretical exposure. At the university-wide level, a student-centered teaching and learning approach has been established, facilitated by models like Student Farm Attachment, Student Enterprise Scheme, and Student Community Engagement. Additionally, university-based research teams have honed their skills in community action research, leading to the identification of relevant challenges and plausible solutions. Furthermore, students’ skills sets have increasingly enhanced employability.

Strengthening linkages between universities and community development actors can enhance curriculum orientation toward problem-solving and entrepreneurial capacity building for young graduates. Purposeful engagement with communities by university faculty and students serves as a complementary extension approach and advisory service. Implementing an innovative curriculum has the potential to boost research uptake and foster innovation. This article demonstrates how university- industrial actors’ collaboration can be exploited for curriculum (re)design, review and up-dating for (a) enhanced relevance of universities to community needs and employability of graduates; and (b) improvements in the research uptake pathways that facilitate research-into-use for desired impacts at community level.

Evaluation of a participatory action project to address opioid misuse: Breaking down barriers through partnership processes

Carlin Rafie — 2024-12-19

Community based participatory research and participatory action research are increasingly being used to engage communities in addressing social and health disparities. There is a need to develop broadly applicable evaluation methods that can be used across participatory project environments to identify the processes critical for addressing complex public health issues, as well as the productiveness of community research partnerships. We present a case study of a community participatory project conducted over three years and our evaluation approach. We used the Community Based Participatory Research Conceptual Model as the framework for the evaluation surveys (n=9) and interviews (n=7) with project participants, querying perspectives on the four model domains: community context, partnership processes, intervention and research and outcomes. In addition, we conducted a Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) exercise with ten community members to determine the broader impacts of the project on the community. This mixed-methods approach permitted us to confirm findings from quantitative surveys with qualitative findings from interviews and the REM. Key processes identified as facilitators to a productive partnership and positive outcomes include a context of trust, effective implementation of processes that establish equitable partner relationships and partnership synergy, a clearly defined focus for the partnership and a structured participatory research method that helped break down silos and mobilise the community for action. Our project evaluation approach, combining the CBPR model and REM, guided measurement of common metrics that are key to effective community engagement as well as exploration of unanticipated outcomes.

Greenspace & Us: Exploring co-design approaches to increase engagement with nature by girls and young women

Stuart Cole — 2024-06-29

Nature connection through engagement with greenspaces plays an important role in promoting well-being. In England, certain groups, such as girls and young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, have limited access to high-quality greenspaces and face other barriers to engaging with nature. In Oxfordshire, the County Council has committed to improving access to greenspace and nature for all. In 2022, a group consisting of twenty girls and young women (aged 10–16) from East Oxford not-for- profit organisations, academic institutions and public bodies came together to start an initiative called ‘Greenspace & Us’. The girls and young women participated in six three- hour workshops in February to March 2022. Using the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour) approach, we explored the enablers and barriers to girls and young women in Oxford engaging more with nature, which included: increasing equity of access; introducing meaningful co-production; taking safety concerns seriously; making nature normal; promoting the right to play; and increasing the ability to connect with greenspaces.
The outputs of this process were synthesised into the ‘Greenspace & Us Manifesto’, which was crafted collectively. Furthermore, these insights were used to design inclusive park furniture, which was later installed in a local park in East Oxford. In this practice-based article, we outline the methods, outcomes as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the engagement, co-design and co-production approaches we used in Greenspace & Us. We hope the insights from our project will support more inclusive and equitable design of greenspaces for all.

Partnering with older adults for digital research tool development: Demystifying an engaged research process

Natalia Balyasnikova — 2024-07-05

The inadequacy of traditional research methods, underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted the urgent need for innovative approaches, particularly to research involving older adults. This article reflects on the complexities of establishing and sustaining research partnerships with older adults for digital research tool testing and development. The article offers an explicit report of the outreach process for holding researchers accountable and demystifying the research process.

Building research and evaluation within an Australian community eating disorder organisation through academic partnership: A pragmatic protocol

Sumedha Verma — 2024-08-14

Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions with rising prevalence. Despite this, research and evaluation (R&E) remain under-funded, hindering translation, policy, prevention and advances in care; an equitable and responsive ecosystem of research and knowledge-sharing across the sector is needed to enhance outcomes for people and systems affected by eating disorders. Community members engage with community eating disorder organisations/services to receive guidance and support, often through innovative co-designed programs and resources. Building R&E capacity and capability within community settings is essential in capturing, leveraging and translating local knowledges, such as evaluation outcomes to research, policy, practice settings and the broader community to improve understandings, actions and outcomes. Partnerships between community service providers and academic researchers could be a way of establishing reciprocal knowledge- sharing pathways while simultaneously building internal R&E capacity/capability. The current article presents a longitudinal participatory protocol to plan for, co-design and implement R&E practices within an Australian community-based eating disorder service via an academic partnership. We present a four-stage methodological outline aiming to (a) identify the needs, experiences and feasibility of engaging in R&E in a community eating disorder context; and (b) collaboratively plan for, develop and integrate R&E practices through partnership. We will collect data through focus groups, meetings, interviews, researcher notes and questionnaires across several months. This pragmatic plan can guide future collaborative R&E building efforts within a community mental health context in ways that inform the development and scalability of sustainable, effective and efficient R&E praxis and partnerships across the eating disorder and broader mental health sector.

Rhythm Interactive Special Enablers (R.I.S.E) - A collaborative community engagement program

Wen Fen Beh — 2024-12-19

Rhythm Interactive Special Enablers (R.I.S.E.) is a collaborative community engagement program designed to improve motor function, engagement and self-esteem through music-based intervention in children with cerebral palsy (CP). CP is a movement disorder caused by brain damage during development, with spasticity significantly affecting mobility and quality of life.

Utilising drum circles, a form of group drumming, R.I.S.E. aims to stimulate neuroplasticity, enhance motor skills and provide a creative and enjoyable therapeutic experience. The program implemented at the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor & Federal Territory (SCAS&FT) involved 12 biweekly workshops that combined rhythmic exercises and music with the objectives of improving motor coordination, fostering teamwork and boosting participants’ self-confidence. Through structured drum circles, the participants engaged in rhythmic activities that stimulated both cognitive and physical functions.

The program was assessed on participant retention, engagement and the incorporation of music into rehabilitation exercises. Feedback from participants and caregivers indicated improvements in motor skills, confidence and community connectedness. Additionally, a ‘Train the Trainer’ initiative was implemented to ensure long-term sustainability, enabling SCAS&FT to autonomously run the program. Moving forward, the program aims to expand to other neurological conditions, ensuring wider accessibility through training and resources.