Community Engagement Participatory Action Research

2013

Professional Practise and Ethics

Tylah Ingram

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH


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Table of Contents

Abstract 3 Introduction 3 Literature Review Participatory Action Research 4 Children in Planning 5 Social Planning and Ethical Behavior 5

Community Participation and Empowerment 6 Community Development 6 Parallels between Participatory Action Research and Community Engagement 7 Research Design Significance of Project 8 Aims and Objectives 9 Approach 9 Methods 10 Results 15 Outcomes 18 Conclusion 19 References 20 Appendix 22


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Abstract This article takes the opportunity to broadly examine the planning and engagement practices when working with a community to engage in a development activity. The purpose of this piece is to study a community engagement project, and assess the factors that influence the outcome of the project, successful or not. Project indicators will assist in determining the outcomes of the methods which will be guided by extensive research on characteristics that are part of the co-learning process involved in Participatory Action Research, our selected research method.

Introduction

“The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust Assessing community engagement by the process of Participatory Action Research we can begin to think and discover the apparent issues and constraints involved in trying to collectively bring change and action into a community. It was intended that this article would examine how we as academic researchers1 endeavour to discover the key factors that contribute to community engagement and its benefits. This research can reveal the fundamentals of a community engagement project and highlight the wealth of assets that community members bring to the process of empowerment and acting on that empowerment to bring about change. I will be basing my Participatory Action Research study at Eaglehawk Secondary College, Eaglehawk where we endeavour to connect with the community and redevelop a section of the school grounds to positively benefit the students with a major focus on community involvement. By following the fundamentals of Participation Action Research we will be taking a community-centred approach to the project and plan for the children’s moral, physical and social health by conducting research, addressing issues involving youth and focusing on community connections and creating strong relations between the school and other groups. A key aim for the project is to develop a connection with the Eaglehawk Secondary students and learn from them by partaking in fieldwork and classroom discussions to understand what is of interest to them and how we can work together on improving their play space and creating a connection between the school grounds and the students. A major emphasis will be on linking the school to the children’s identity and creating an area that students will be proud of. By following the fundamental concepts of children’s rights, health and development within a planning context we will strive to adapt our plans to include the ideas of the children, as they are our key resource of knowledge and learning. Key themes of the project and its evaluation include that of leadership and equal opportunities for all involved and how Participatory Action Research can help to determine the characteristics of a successful community engagement project.

1 The term ‘academic researcher’ is used to distinguish geographers’ involvement in this process from that of other

participants.


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Literature Review In order to analysis Participatory Action Research and the effects it has on community activity evaluation it needs to be understood how this specific research method alone can systematically aid investigation, with the collaboration of those affected by the area being studied, for the purpose of education and take action or effect social change. The term participatory action research or PAR is an increasingly popular way for researchers to analyse social behaviours and other enquiries. Participatory Action Research is not a traditional us/them way of research but rather a co-learning engagement that had participatory researched described as “empowerment evolution” and “mutual enquiry” that sees the academic researcher become part of the researched topic. Although some of the theories and goals have been adapted to allow the researcher to be placed in the position of a co-learner, the core principles and values of learning of any research still take place when conducting Participatory Action Research. Participatory Action Research places the researcher in the position of equal strength to that in the research group and draws upon community participation and the transformation of research and findings into action and educated change (Minkler, M, 2011). “Researchers are co-learners rather than teachers, grappling as equal partners with ethical challenges and the need for research approaches that reflect both scientific and popular perspectives”(Minkler, M, 2011). What make Participatory Action Research unique are not the methods used within the research which it can be either quantitative or qualitative, but rather the active involvement of the people participating whose lives are ultimately effected by the study (Minkler, M, 2011). The way in which PAR is conducted removes the barriers between the researcher and the researched and at every stage knowledge is shared between all participating. The collaboration of shared knowledge makes the project more effective and efficient. The data collection of results is also improved, allowing framework for the best practises to be more accurate and ultimately benefit the researcher and community (Viswanathan,M, 2004). Fawcett evaluated the distinct principles and characteristics of Participatory Action Research after thoughtfully researching all known values; he in brief listed the following as most relevant to PAR:

Cooperative engaging community members and researchers in a joint process in which they

contribute equally

A co-learning process for researchers and community members

A method for systems development and local community capacity building

An empowering process through which participants can increase control over their lives by

nurturing community strengths and problem solving abilities

A way to balance research and action

By placing ourselves within the research at Eaglehawk Secondary College as academic researchers

we will have a greater understanding of the community engagement task and the outcomes and

restrictions involved by actively contributing to the project, thus balancing the understanding of why

the results will occur.


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Children in Planning Including children in planning practises is an important part of bridging the gap between youth and adults and also allows us to deliver a desired outcome. One of the original motivations of the planning and design of cities and towns in the Victorian era was to promote physical wellbeing and the moral health of children while industrialisation was occurring. In these times planning for childhood health was simply to create basic parkland and nothing more was addressed. Children’s planning today is a whole new field with specific research conducted to improve the way we create spaces for children that positively affect them. The inclusion of young people in planning shows great benefits towards their mental and physical health and also improves learning and personal development (Davis, 2005). Davis addresses the absence of children’s ideas and existence in policy making and how to make realistic decisions on how urban environments should be designed and managed. Children tend to be more eager to partake in activities when they have been actively involved in the planning, it bestows a sense of pride to them connecting them to an area such as a park that they have helped develop. Within this community engagement project we aim to empower children and strive to bridge this gap within Eaglehawk Secondary College and furthermore educate the community of youth planning and what students can create and achieve. By including children in the planning process and within a community as an equal contributor to projects children develop the capacity to participate with a diverse range of community members. Organisational skills are enhanced as the children learn to exchange experiences and link themselves to projects within an adult environment. New models for involving children and new institutional alliances can be gained by conducting action research with children, which was noted after preliminary works occurred at Eaglehawk Secondary College early in 2013, where children got to create a masterplan for how they invasion a play space within their school grounds which allowed us to gain a greater understanding into what the children identified as key concerns and ideals. Social Planning and Ethical Behaviour Social planning is a broad term that can be applied over numerous topics. It is the planning involved in helping people progress, such as welfare to work, deliver a certain social service and social equity planning (COM PLANNINGp.5).Our project focuses on physical planning which in turn will show results of social behaviours and progression. It is important to understand that when focused on planning a physical environment social values can adapt the desired goals and can ultimately impact on the quality of life for some individuals. Good planning addresses social issues and community values within the desired physical plans (Kelly,E, 2009, p.6). In urban planning and politics, William Johnson defines a value in the context of city planning as ‘[a] good that people seek, a quality in an object or situation that makes it valuable. In the context of urban development, a value is a benefit that can be drawn from the built environment and the activities it supports’ (Kelly,E, 2009, p.6). Planners must be sensitive to their own values and that of the community. Participatory Research is strengthened by local, joint negotiated, ethical practices that ensure the sharing of leadership, power, and decision making from design to dissemination. Close collaboration between the academic researcher and the community creates a partnership of shared roles and responsibilities that enables the community to achieve desired results (Viswanathan, M, 2004).


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Discussing the fundamental plans and results with the community allows all who are participating to voice their opinions and concerns and gives the researchers and the community numerous aspects of interpretation (Viswanathan, M, 2004). Seeking the children’s involvement within the project was aimed to strengthen the ethical foundations of the development and maximise the outcomes and benefits of the community development project. Community Participation and Empowerment Community participation can be seen as a strategic approach to creating positive links within a community and empowering local connections and even connections on a regional scale. Increasing the community participation in projects allows new relationships to be formed between different community groups by connecting them with one key focus or project that they all share similar values towards. Once relationships are formed they can continue to strengthen and grow to see strong links between increased involvements within the community. By empowering a community you begin to see opportunities that otherwise would not have been available. The poor and powerless gain a sense of control when participating in community projects and furthermore benefit from their increased ability to bargain over jobs and services. Benefits of community empowerment include that of cost saving but also project efficiency (Viswanathan,M, 2004). Common themes of community participation and empowerment are sustainability; people centred development, equal opportunities and social justice. By increasing the community participation in a project the results of development are increased dramatically as indicated in studies across the world. Improved physical environments are a further positive to community participation as the empowerment given to all involved creates a sense of well being and belonging. Community Development “There is no greater service than to help a community liberate itself” - Nelson Mandela, 2003 The term community development is often used to describe the participatory actions used to promote services that are of wide benefit to a group and delivering satisfying outcomes (Gilchrist, A, 2009, p.23). It is “about interacting with people to assist them to find ways to build understanding and co-corporation between individuals and groups to enable them to make changes in their own lives and for the greater good” (Bartley, 2003, p.186) To summarise, community development is to engage a community in a process that will be of benefit to all involved. The process can be analysed within the following groups

The reframing of the community. It is often that community development projects help

individuals or communities at large recognise specific problems and discover new

opportunities that come from community development.

All community members are given equal opportunities to be involved.

o Inclusiveness encourages a range of people to participate.

o Welcoming a diverse range of opinions and perspectives

o Keep activities social, fun and inclusive


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o Connections formed within a community

People build motivation and community capacity though participation and active

involvement in decision making and implementation.

o The community makes the decisions and implement change, hence empowering the

community.

o Community participation gives the opportunity for people to act upon existing

concerns they have within the community

o Engage in a project that is an existing concern to a group of people

o Develop activities that promote leadership and altruism

External facilitators are not invited to work for them, but rather with them. They have the

ability to join in the decision making but not influence to highly on the communities plans.

Recognise success, no matter how small or large the achievement.

Not all communities are suited to, or prepared for community participatory activities. These fundamentals of community development were the foundations of our understanding to how the community engagement project could successfully impact on the local community involved. These factors were all evident parts of the project conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College and the process of engaging the community reflects closely to these ideals, which will be discussed further in the results. Parallels between Participatory Action Research and Community Engagement Participatory Action Research and Community Engagement work together to form a certain research orientation that is driven by community and social change for the greater good. Community based research shares a number of similar approaches to that of Participatory Action Research that create healthy communities that can be identified as:

Neither can be achieved by following a concrete set of guidelines and results and methods

adapt to individual community circumstances

Both are driven by the priorities of a community and what they value, rather than outside

approaches

Both use a participatory approach to learn the meaning of social processes in order to

promote change

Both highlight community and individual strengths

Both are inclusive and have forward thinking approaches to decision making and problem

solving. (Viswanathan,M, 2004)

“We don’t empower people – we reawaken the power people already had” (Minkler, M, 2011, p.95) A lot can be learnt from conducting community engagement projects using Participatory Action Research as the attitude of the academic researcher is formed as a mutual approach to engaging with those within the community.


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Research Design SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT The research conducted within the Eaglehawk community endeavours to offer benefits to a range of areas. Creating connections between the school and wider community was a main priority when embarking on this community engagement project and creating future connections in the community. Collaborating with the children at Eaglehawk Secondary College is an important aspect of the project to bridge the gap between children’s participation and planning. By increasing their involvement they become empowered and ideally their self-esteem, self-worth and presence in the adult world is increased. This too is relevant to the inclusion of the community in the project as it benefits individuals and the community as a whole. The themes and ideas of the project are to understand what factors make Participatory Action Research successful within a community engagement activity and the importance of ethics, communication, key people and responsibilities. From a planning and design perspective; this research can reveal how a community engagement project can impact on a community’s morale and what benefits and limitations are associated with a diverse range of participation and leadership roles. To analysis the benefits, constrains and key themes of community engagement, Participatory Action Research was specifically conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College where we applied selected research approaches to identify and examine a range of broad conceptual themes associated with community engagement. To identify and understand the themes of community engagement we endeavoured to redevelop the schools horticultural area and rejuvenate it by engaging the children, school and community of Eaglehawk to participate and transform the area while we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of using a community engagement method. By using a community engagement approach, we hoped to see an authentic partnership be created between the school, local residents and community based organisations to all work towards an improvement to the schools environment and children’s wellbeing. Previous to our research task, La Trobe students conducted research on children’s environments and specifically focused on what the students of Eaglehawk Secondary College thought of their school and how they would improve and develop the school grounds. By using the student’s ideas from this research we developed an appropriate masterplan for the horticultural area at Eaglehawk Secondary College that reflected the key concepts and vision of the children. This plan was the basis of what we envisioned to be achieved over time within the schools horticultural area and the grounds to implementing community engagement to rejuvenate the area. The following section details the aims and objectives of the project and the methods used to conduct and analysis the community engagement project. Aims and Objectives The project aimed to put Participatory Action Research into practise and identify and reflect upon a community development process using school ground improvement as a case study. This is a


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summary of the aims and objectives associated with the rejuvenation of the Eaglehawk Secondary College horticultural area:

To made a commitment to include all significant groups in forging a shared identity within

the Eaglehawk community.

To develop outcomes that represents the work of the students and the community.

Create a safe environment within the school grounds for the wellbeing of students, teachers

and the public.

Commit to planning a child friendly environment that will benefit the school and the

education and wellbeing of the students.

Analysis the spacial movements of the students and consider different options that could be

taken to create a safe play environment; we want to achieve outcomes that stay true to the

physical safety of the children while transforming the area.

Integrate the best principles and practices from environmental design and environmental

psychology in the making of children’s environments.

Develop a comprehensive understanding of community planning issues. Consider risk

management factors involved in the project. This might include factors such as drop outs,

poor response to communications, ethical constraints.

Attract community engagement and media attention to the project to help educate the

community on how they can make change by applying themselves and working co-

operatively on a task with other community members.

Approach

To address any ethical problems and create smart solutions that consider all parties

involved.

Consider the socio economic status of the area and the requirements the students need of

the school, Eaglehawk being a low socio-economic neighbourhood of Bendigo highlights

different needs of the community and in particular children’s wellbeing.

Make practical decisions by following planning framework while still keeping the community

and school as the main focus for design.

Consider the natural environment that exists at the school and respect the environment in

our designs focusing on natural resources and materials that are cost affective.

Direct the project in such a way that the school and community have responsibility and are

required to engage with the project for it to work successfully.

Follow an organised implementation to help conduct, assess and review the outcomes of the

project.

Methods In order to successfully conduct a project especially that of a community engagement project where numerous parties are involved, it is critical that the project is broken down into smaller sections that can be addressed separately. Although each stage contributes to the desired outcome and research, the method of sectioning the tasks into stages allows the outcomes to be clear and defined.


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The Eaglehawk Secondary College horticulture rejuvenation has been broken into six phases; initiation, scoping, planning, implementation, monitoring and review. The following sections describe the relevance of each phase and furthermore what methods were used in each to successfully complete the project. Initiation Initiation, the first stage and possibly one of the most crucial to the project as it develops a comprehensive list of initial issues and the direction in which the project is likely to move towards. It is important to discuss and deliberate what the desired outcomes are of the project and briefly how they will be achieved. Initial consultations were made at this stage of the project with Eaglehawk Secondary College and its Chaplin, who would act as the main contact for the project on the schools behalf. Within this preliminary consultation we discussed what both parties wanted to gain from the project. We proposed our ideas and basic vision and listened to the ideas of the school. We addressed such questions as “How is the horticulture area used by the students and teachers?” and “How can the school assist us in engaging the community to the project?”. A site visit was also conducted to evaluate what needed to be achieved in the horticultural area in the short and long term scope of the project. Within the initiation phase various designs and ideas were created for the project and presented to the Chaplin and a board of Eaglehawk Secondary College staff to finalise a reasonable goal that could be achieved and how to engage with the community. A list of project indicators was developed by the academic researches to assist the assessment of the project and prompt reflection on key ideas and themes. They are as followed; Area of Assessment Activity Indicator

Communication Article in school bulletin Article in the Bendigo Advertiser

Reports are produced Community is connected

Correspondence Write letters Meet with Lions Produce update news

Response from organisations approach

Organisation Clearly address all aspects of the designs Keep accurate records

All involved understand what is being designed No overlap of tasks Designs implemented

Timelines Meet time requirements Organise tasks according to time constrains

Project is finish on time Everything is achieved to a high quality and not rushed

Key People and Responsibilities Assign tasks to children to give them responsibility The presence of a champion

Children make their mark on the design results Successfulness of all involved

Ethics Empowerment of community Follow correct protocol Advocate on children’s behalf for what they want for the site

Eaglehawk benefits from the rejuvenation Purpose of project is clear across all materials Children are involved in the project



Scoping After the project has been decided on, scoping needs to take place to determine the finer details of who will be involved, where the project will take place, how it will take place and why it is happening. The outcome of initiation saw a working bee at the school to be set just over a month from the meeting date, where the goal was to run the working bee on a Sunday to engage the community, local groups and school children to participate in a general clean and rejuvenation of the area and depending on local community response plant some garden and mulch. To engage with the local community and promote the project it was agreed that both the school and the academic researchers would contact different community groups to ask for volunteers and also for donations such as mulch, soil, plants and other materials that would assist in transforming the garden area. A list of local businesses and contacts to assist with the working be was created (Appendix 1). The Chaplin was in charge of applying for community grants that would assist with the implementation of the project. Planning In the planning phase the people involved with running the project have to plan out the desired direction that the project will go through. Thorough planning is needed to make sure that all the new parties involved in the project know what is happening and the direction the project is moving towards. Without thorough planning the project is open to complications and issues. In the case study of the Eaglehawk Secondary College horticulture rejuvenation the planning stage involved working towards the existing set of aims and objectives. Initial contact was made to the businesses and associations in the form of letters, phone calls and personal visits. This was conducted to forge relationships with the businesses and get them engaged in the working bee and contribute to the development of community connections. Plans for the horticulture area were created within this stage. The masterplan was finalized and developed a vision for the future that would help in the implementation state. Figure 1 shows the masterplan that was designed using the key concepts and ideas the students at Eaglehawk Secondary College had for the area while using our knowledge of child friendly planning to create the overall design. The masterplan was designed to be a future project for the school and to act as a guideline for how they will develop the horticultural area, with room to change and adapt according to future needs or even concerns that may arise from the original design, although issues such as drainage and wheelchair access were considered in the design. Smaller instructional designs (figures 2, 3, 4& 5) were also created to assist with the implementation of specific tasks on the day of the working bee. They strategically divided the horticulture area into four key zones and broke down tasks such as weeding and mowing so smaller groups could be assigned to a specific area. The breakdown of the area was designed to eliminate overlapping of jobs and too many people working in the one area, while also guiding participants and volunteers with a visual example to help them understand all concepts of the design.



Fig. 1



Fig. 2

Fig. 3



Fig. 4

Fig. 5



Implementation This is the stage where the planning phase is tested through the implementation of the project. This is one of the longest stages as implementation can continue to happen throughout the entire time the project is running. In the case study conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College the implementation refers mainly to the working bee day and all activities involved in its conduction. As a result of previous work within the planning stages and circumstances the working bee saw only twelve community members participate on the day (factors contributing to this discussed further in the results). The horticulture area was transformed into a tidy space and rubbish was removed from the site and sent to the tip. The chairs were collected by the rotary and cleared space around the side of the horticulture room. Weeding mowing and the removal of dead plants were conducted by the participants following the instructional designs that had been created. Monitoring The leaders of the project must keep documentation of what is happening throughout the project. The project would be monitored by keeping records through notes, photographs of the site as it changes, personal reflections from the people in charge of the project, minutes from consultation meetings and other general observations. As an academic researcher of the project I kept detailed records of the project as different means of communication was used. Personal reflections were documented as well as structured timelines and notes collected from phone calls, meetings and informal contact with local businesses. As a result of working with a school it was sometimes difficult to track the schools process in regards to apply for community grants and such as the Chaplin was in charge of that aspect of the project and because the school was involved it was hard to gain access to notes due to ethical practices. Review The review phase is where the people running the project review the project and draw their conclusions and findings. They would draw upon their record keeping methods and indicators to determine the successfulness of the project. This is the stage where the real findings come out of the project. The project needs to be reviewed to understand what factors prompted positive community engagement and what could have been changed to help improve the results. The following section discusses the findings of the project, the outcomes and indicators of the project.

Results The community Participatory Action Research conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College illustrates some of the positives and negative outcomes from a community engagement project. The horticulture rejuvenation project was a powerful tool that allowed academic researches to gain a greater understanding of community engagement tasks by conducting one and using indicators to assess what makes a project successful and what would be critiqued to result in better outcomes.



The horticultural area can be viewed as an accomplishment but also an experimental test on the community to see how they engaged to the project. The following are the main indicators of the community engagement project. Leadership Community leadership is not just about organising projects but rather connecting people to projects and empowering them to create positive outcomes for a community. Being a good community leader is to enable a vision to create allies and build strong relations with different groups to work towards an outcome that’s of benefit to all involved. A good leader needs to assess and make decisions and remain self organized (Gilchrist, A, 2009, p.102). Both the academic researchers and the school Chaplin acted as the main leaders for the community engagement project. Leadership was shown though the organisation of activities and making informed decisions involving the project such as what date to conduct the working bee or as simple as when a meeting would occur between parties, when made quickly and logically these decisions were of benefit to all. However leaders need to stay focused and ready to act when participating in a community project. The school Chaplin lost motivation for the project throughout its duration which saw negative results occur in other key areas such as ethics, advertising and timeframes. Due to the Chaplin being the academic researches point of contact with the school this saw tasks such as organising visits and determining major points of the project difficult. This brings us to the next point, the importance of a champion. The Importance of a Champion The school Chaplin was the predicted champion of the case study conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College. The meaning of champion reflects on the efforts that the individual contributes to the project to aid its success and without that individual’s assistance the successfulness of the project would be altered. The Chaplin lost sight of the project over the course of three weeks, which was at the most critical phase of planning for the project’s success. Over this time communication was lost with the school as the Chaplin which made organisation difficult. The predicted champion did not meet the academic researcher’s expectations. In turn, for future community engagement projects it needs to be understood that you can’t rely solely on a particular individual for the success of a project and must consider all alternative situations when planning the project and people involved. Ethical Practises and Children’s Involvement The participation of children was also affected by the role of the champion and the ability to contact the children while following correct protocol. Due to school regulations and that of following ethical practises the academic researchers needed to organise the children’s involvement with the help of the Chaplin as they ethically didn’t have the authority to approach them directly. The academic researchers requested that the students involved in the SRC (student representative council) be approached and asked to participate in the working bee however there was no contact with the students. As a result of trying to incorporate children into the project, artwork created by the Eaglehawk Secondary College students was worked into the masterplan. Metal feathers created by the students were made to originally been used in the building design of the school. These feathers are set to become part of the concrete path to the horticulture rooms and also displayed on wooden pillars in the garden. This shows the students contribution to the design of their school, empowering them and showing achievement.



Communication Strong communication between all parties involved in a project is possibly one of the major indicators for success. As part of the organisation of the case study different means of communication were used to organise and prepare for the project. Conducting meetings with the school was a successful way to engage with a variety of teachers and gather important information regarding the project; however organising meetings were a difficult task. In regards to communication with the school the Chaplin was our point of contact and the academic researchers used email and phone calls as the most common form of communication. The reliability of this method can be assessed in the results of not having the Chaplin reply to calls and emails regularly which in turn altered timelines and the project as a whole. Communication with local businesses can also be assessed as by reviewing how successful our contact methods were. Both personal visits and phone calls were used to ask for donations, personal visits and the distribution of letters saw a higher percentage of involvement then that of phone calls even though we could contact more community groups by us the means of phone calls. By evaluating the response of the community groups contacted it cannot be determined that there is a correct procedure to communicate, rather note that each individual group needs to be approached differently to find the best communication method possible. Community development can often feel unformulated and organising is difficult. Good community development requires the collective support of all parties to provide co-corporation and outcomes. Many of the difficulties faced by community development workers relate to them having to ‘network the networks’ (Gilchrist, A, 2009, p99). Good community development workers act as signposts and springboards as a connection between projects helping people communicate and navigate throughout the project. This was particularly difficult for the academic researches as they had to network between the school and the community and the organisation of tasks was difficult. For example Epsom Sand and Soil donated mulch to the horticulture area, however organising the delivery of the mulch saw a researcher directing instructions and questions between the school and the business rather than having the two parties contact directly, resulting in confusion and miscommunication. Advertising Promoting the project to the local community and school was a difficult task. It is important to engage with a variety of individuals and groups to create community awareness in regards to a project. The case study highlighted the importance of sufficient advertising as a leading indicator of community involvement. Advertising was a weak aspect of the case study with the predicted advertising methods not being successful due to human error. To gain children and parents involvement in the project the academic researchers organised to have an advertisement printed in the schools fortnightly newsletter (Appendix 2). This task was to be completed by the Chaplin, however due to poor time management the article was not submitted in time so parents and students were unaware of the project. The Bendigo Advertiser was also contacted to feature an article about the project and to promote it to the wider community. Both the academic researchers and the Chaplin contacted the Bendigo Advertiser, both receiving no response to run an article (Appendix 3). This highlights that even when correct procedures are followed some tasks just aren’t able to be achieved. La Trobe University was contacted to promote the project to students interested in increasing their volunteer hours to receive the La Trobe Award. An email (Appendix 4) with the working bee’s details was sent out to 135 students from the La Trobe Bendigo Campus asking for help with the community engagement project.



Timeframes Participatory Action Research is useful in highlighting issues involving timelines and time constraints (Pain,R, 2004,p.653). Within the case study conducted time constrains was consistent in demonstrating the need to be organised and have alternative plans that could be enforced when original approaches couldn’t be conducted as planned. The project missed out in applying for numerous community grants due to bad timing of the conduction of the project. This wasn’t due to error but rather that of the grant applications needing to be submitted the week initial consultations with the school had began and the details of the project were still being finalised. This reduced the money we had to spend on the project and altered the projects direction. As mentioned in the leadership section, the school Chaplin made it difficult for the project to remain on a time schedule when the Chaplin didn’t participate and lost sight of the project for three weeks leading up to the working bee. It was also difficult to organise the project when the school had mid-term holidays during the planning phase so the project has to be altered accordingly. Organisation To keep a project on track you must remain organised and explore ideas and options for future results. The case study saw some organisational downfalls where leaders of the project were not prepared to enter the next stage of the project or hadn’t specific details of a certain aspect of the project. For example to finalise the masterplan and begin asking for donations, the Chaplin had to certify that the plans were acceptable before further progress could develop. Organisation also refers to the communication between the academic researchers, school and community groups and the keeping of records to help with the overall planning and research reporting. Throughout the project it was made clear that additional plans needed to be created in the case original plan were unable to be successful.

Outcomes

Based on the community participatory active research conducted with Eaglehawk Secondary College the following changes were made physically to the school grounds and the local community after a variety of action steps were used. The results are as follows:

After asking for donations for the project from local businesses, Bunning’s agreed to create a partnership with Eaglehawk Secondary College and involve the school in their D.I.Y workshops. These workshops actively involve children in creative projects and in this situation a planting day at the school that will educate the children on plant species and the importance of local food production.

As a result of successfully negotiating with local businesses for donations to the project Epsom Sand and Soil donated mulch for the horticulture gardens. This donation helped create healthy garden beds that can be easily maintained. Community connections between the school and the business were also forged as a result of the project.

Local business Mawsons, became involved in the project when asked to donate materials for the creation of a path in the horticulture area. With concerns about disability access to the gardens the business donated concrete for a path that will allow year round accessibility to all students to the horticulture area.



A group of community members, school staff and researchers participated in a working bee as a community engagement task. The day involved the initial clean up of the horticulture area which entailed active participants to be part of the removal of rubbish and unwanted materials from the grounds, removal of weeds and garden control.

Local community group The Rotary Club of Eaglehawk were given unused chairs from the site as a donation. Donating the chairs improved the connection between Eaglehawk Secondary and the Rotary Club and demonstrated how the school is engaging with the local community and actively making positive contributions.

Future direction for the schools horticulture area was enforced with the creation of a master plan. The horticulture rejuvenation now has a guide that the students, teachers and community can follow to create a healthy space within the school grounds.

The children were a main focus when designing the master plan for the horticulture area. To empower and connect the students work to the horticulture area, student’s artwork was developed into the plans. The feathers were originally made by students to be used in the schools original building designs but after protests by architects they were not incorporated. Using the artworks in the master plan link the children’s identity to the school and creates an area that students will be proud of.

Connections between school and university were created by La Trobe being actively involved in the project. By using Participatory Action Research the interaction between the two parties was successfully conducted and both were engaged in the project, which can be seen as an educational success linking children and the school to La Trobe University.

In summary the community engagement project conducted at Eaglehawk Secondary College had positive benefits to the school and community. By using Participatory Action Research and the principles associated engaged the school and local businesses in a sustainable way and allowed the clear analysis of key fundamentals of community engagement tasks and their success. Effective community building was combined with research, education and action to create change and develop a school and its community in a positive way.

Conclusion

It is evident that there are no specific guidelines that can be simultaneously followed to achieve a successful community engagement project; rather appropriate actions need to be taken to develop and progress throughout the project according to individual results. By conducting the case study at Eaglehawk Secondary College we have successfully identified and assessed the key factors that influence community engagement projects. We have been able to determine the characteristics that were needed to allow our Participatory Action Research methods to let us co-learn with the community and examine the planning, action and identify the major steps of completing a community project. The case study lead too many positive results, and specific outcomes saw the academic researchers gain a greater understanding and insight into the process and benefits of community engagement projects, while the school and community benefitted from the results.



References James, A. (2007). Giving voice to children’s voices: practices and problems, pitfalls and potentials, American Anthropologist, 261-72 Veitch, J., Salmon, J., & Ball, K. (2007). Children’s perceptions of the use of public open spaces for active free-play. Children’s Geographies, 409-422. Freeman, C and Tranter, P. (2011). Design, Children and their Urban Envvironment. Earthscan: London and Washington. Jeffery, A., Witten, K. (2007). Community development and health, Community development journal. Howell, S. (2001). How can we evaluate community initiatives. American Planning Accossiation, 147. Valentine, G (1996) Angels and Devils: Moral landscapes of childhood. Society and Space, 581-599. International Secretariat for Child Friendly Cities. (2004). Building Child Friendly Cities: A framework for action. Florence: Innocenti Research Centre. Pain,R, 2004, Social Geography, Participatory Research, Press in Human Geography, p.652-663. http://www1.geo.ntnu.edu.tw/~moise/Data/Books/Social/05%20social%20geography%20theory/social%20geography%20participatory%20research.pdf Kelly,E, 2009, Community Planning: An Introduction to the Comprehensive plan, Island Press, p. 6-10. Malone, K. (1999). Growing Up in Cities as a model of participatory planning and ‘place-making’ with young people. Youth Studies Australia. Davis. Practise Approaches, children participation, p.5. Minkler, M, 2011, Using Participatory Action Research to Build Healthy Communities, Focus on

Healthy communities, p191-197.

Gilchrist, A, 2009, The Well-connected Community A Networking Approach to Community Development, <http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Tm5XMkUblskC&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=community+development&ots=Bav9JINae&sig=u_2z6fVRID5ScYvvwXi1BLwXGcA#v=onepage&q=community%20development&f=false> Green LW, George MA, Frankish CJ, Herbert CJ, Bowie WR, O’Neil M, Study of participatory research in health promotion: review and recommendation for the development of participatory research in health promotion in Canada. Ottawa, Royal society of Canada; 1995. Craig, G, 1995, Community Empowerment: A Reader in Participation and Development,



http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=oRIL6kHLVgoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=community+development&ots=9MVW9PL-f-&sig=5xJuwcWD860OM3yB_iavkoXHPBw#v=onepage&q=community%20development&f=false Viswanathan, M, Ammerman, A, Eng, E, 2004, Community-Based Paticipatory Action Research: Assessing the Evidence: Summary, NCBI, received 20 September 2013. Cavaye, J, Understanding Community Development, Cavaye Community Development, received 13 October 2013, <http://www.communitydevelopment.com.au/Documents/Understanding%20Community%20Development.pdf>



Appendix 1. Local Businesses to Contact for Donations Mawsons 127 Victoria Street Eaglehawk VIC 3556 54461377 Concrete and quarries Epsom sand and soils 452 Epsom-Barnadown Rd Epsom 3551 54488171 Bunnings warehouse 263-265 High Street Kangaroo Flat 3555 54448599 Kirsty – Activities organiser Hume & Iser Pty Ltd 35-37 Charleston Rd Bendigo 3550 54407100 Fitzpatrick’s 320 Eaglehawk Rd Eaglehawk 3556 54301000 Groups to contact for Volunteers Bendigo Student Association Latrobe University Flora Hill 3552 54447514 Plan B Latrobe University Flora Hill 3552 Bendigo Lions Club 5442 7658 Secretary Steve McHardy Rotary Bendigo Conservation Volunteers Aus 420 Hargreaves Street Bendigo 3550 5444 0777 Adam Smolok Eaglehawk Community House 12 Truscott Avenue Eaglehawk 3556 5446 8322 Glynn Jarrett Probus Club Bendigo PO Box 1379 Bendigo 3552 5449 3925 Mike Watt - Secretary

2. Advertisement in School Newsletter Would you like to make a real difference and be part of an exciting living project? Then come and lend a hand to transform and develop the ‘secret garden.’ On Sunday October 13th 10am -1pm we will be starting to clear the space, mow, weed, whipper snip, and share a great vision for the horticultural space that will see it evolve as a spectacular exhibition of art, indigenous culture and community garden. Get involved and share your ideas, knowledge and skills.



BBQ lunch will be provided. If you can, bring along shovel, rake, garden gloves, wheel barrow. For catering purposes ond further enquiries Phone Tracey Wolsley on 0428558370 or call Jenny Sanderson on 5446 8099 If you cant make it on the day but would like to help at another time….let us know If you would like to make a donation towards purchasing plants or seedlings…..give us a call we would be most happy to hear from you. 3. Community Shines Again At a time when we are focusing on Mental Health week it is good to look at practical examples of how we can make a real difference in the lives of others and in our communities. Positive connections and relationships, community participation and engagement, partnerships, practical support and genuine giving and caring are so important in our society and non the less in our frenetic world of high technology. Eaglehawk Secondary College aims to provide a caring environment that connects with students interests to support their learning so they can achieve their best. It has a strong focus on respect for yourself, the school and others while encouraging confidence, courage, persistence and teamwork. At present the school has a vision to see an area in the school grounds transformed into a creative, cultural community garden and space complete with outdoor class room, bush garden, artistic works and produce gardens. In true community spirit this year, students Briana Barnes and Tylah Leah Ingram who have been studying a Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental Planning designed a master plan of the gardens and play areas at Eaglehawk Secondary College in consultation with students. Their time and enthusiasm has now eventuated into a countdown to turning the first patch of dirt this weekend. On Sunday 13th of October there will be a working bee at the school to clean up the horticulture area and start work on creating the proposed gardens The girls have gone to businesses in the community and already Mawsons has generously offered to provide concrete for paving and Epsom Sand and Soil are donating mulch. That is community in action. That is people caring for people. Doing what they can to make a positive difference in the lives of others, sharing what they can, encouraging, supporting and living the message that we are not alone and together we can create great places for our young people to thrive and grow and develop in. If you want to get involved, come and share your garden expertise and knowledge or are able to make a donation towards plants, purchase of water tank, tools etc, please let us know. The working bee Sunday is from 10am -1pm with a BBQ lunch provided (thanks to La Trobe Uni Students….. how awesome is that!)



Tylah Ingram Latrobe Student 0437 699 994 [email protected] Briana Barnes Latrobe Student 0400 805 862 [email protected] Tracey Wolsley 0428 558 370 wolsley.tracey.l.edumail.vic.gov.au Chaplain- Eaglehawk Secondary 4. La Trobe Email to Volenteers Dear All, An exciting volunteering opportunity has come up at Eaglehawk Secondary School. Would you like to make a real difference and be part of an exciting living project? Then come and lend a hand to transform and develop the ‘secret garden.’ Date: Sunday October 13 Time: 10am – 1pm Duties: Clear the space, mow, weed, whipper snip, and share a great vision for the horticultural space that will see it evolve as a spectacular exhibition of art, indigenous culture and community garden. Location: Corner of Bright and Reserve street, Eaglehawk School Entry and Access: Contact TRACEY WOlSLEY Eaglehawk Secondary School, Chaplin - 03 5446 8099 BBQ lunch will be provided. What you need to bring: If you can, bring along shovel, rake, garden gloves, wheel barrow. Volunteers also need to wear closed toe shoes and clothes that are suitable for being on the ground and working in the garden. Participants are encouraged to wear sun protection such as a hat. For further information and to express your interest: Contact Tylah at [email protected] OR alternatively Briana at [email protected]

Kind Regards,

The La Trobe Award Team

mailto:[email protected]

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https://owa.latrobe.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=iJCt_HFHJkKcxlE8Gm0BlRl7txbrudAI9xz_AxJDBsKXfQmC9h0kIYR82xoMVx-BvH6WgPrGjD8.&URL=mailto%3abkbarnes%40students.latrobe.edu.au