GroundWork invites you to our upcoming workshops in October: “Integrated Knowledge for Development” in Kinvara, Ireland, and “Participatory Research and Action for Environmental Sustainability” in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Please write to each specified email address for further details and an application form. **************************************************** Two New GroundWork Residential Workshops on Practical Research and Action For Development 1. Integrated Knowledge for Development: Kinvara, Ireland October 6-13, 2001 Many people are wary of the current rhetoric about "participation"-the time it takes, the emphasis on process over content, the "theological" righteousness, etc. This workshop is aimed at overworked people who believe in consultation but who need valid usable information that 1) makes sense within the context of their organizational operations; and 2) can be obtained before the end of the millennium. This intensive workshop, held at in a rural seaside village in western Ireland, is aimed at managers, sector specialists and researchers working in international development or donor organizations who want to learn more about how to do, and how to commission research that integrates -participatory research and conventional research -qualitative and quantitative approaches -local needs and national policy and planning -sectors: education, health and HIV/AIDS, gender, microfinance and agriculture GroundWork is a non-profit organization which has been holding training workshops for professional development practitioners since 1993. Our work has been used as the basis of national planning in countries as diverse as The Gambia, Kenya, Eritrea and Ireland. In this workshop, we will take you from the 'basics' of participatory, qualitative and quantitative research to advanced applications, processes, issues and theory as they apply to real development issues. No previous experience is necessary. What you learn will be useful for project design, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. We also show you how to apply what you have learned to address issues that arise internally in your own organization. Participants learn from fieldwork with enthusiastic local communities, who are using these approaches themselves. Participants work from manuals and workbooks specially tailored to their own interests. One of the most popular aspects of this workshop is that each participant is helped to design his or her own future project, beginning to end. Senior GroundWork research experts will facilitate it: Dr. Eileen Kane, author of an innovative new book, Doing Your Own Research (Boyars, London, 2001).was professor and founder of the first Department of Anthropology in Ireland, and Chair of the Irish national aid program. She has worked with many national and international agencies including the World Bank, UNICEF, USAID, and CARE. Dr. Lelia Doolan, who has made several films on participatory research, is an anthropologist, environmental activist, health practitioner and filmmaker who was the first Chair of the Irish National Film Board. For an application form and further details on this course, please write to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2. Participatory Research and Action for Environmental Sustainability: Cape Cod, Massachusetts: October 21-26, 2001 Participatory learning and action (PLA) techniques are essential for designing and implementing projects and programs that are environmentally sound within the community context. This workshop focuses on providing in-depth experience with tools that are practical for decision-makers and planners, with an eye to the practicalities, timeliness, and efficacy, of their use in various situations. This intensive workshop, held in a seaside community on Cape Cod that is the home of internationally recognized centers for environmental research and activism, offers a unique cross-sectoral approach to policy and planning for environmental sustainability through community/civic participation, education, health, microfinance and gender, with particular focus on the integrating the use of - process and content - qualitative and quantitative data for policymakers and planners using participatory techniques - information gathering and timely presentation of results - community needs with national plans - participation data to improve advocacy skills within a community - community involvement in development of programs and management The workshop will offer practical experience in program design from beginning to end, including fieldwork in community sites. In addition to the daytime schedule in applying theory to practice, field trips and evening fireside sessions will provide opportunities for interaction with leading researchers, policy makers and activists in state-of-the art methods and practices in ecological design processes. Sr. GroundWork experts, Christina Rawley and Eileen Kane will facilitate the workshop. Christina Rawley is a social ecologist with extensive experience in interactive methodologies for policymaking and planning at local, regional, and national levels for environmental management, democracy and governance, education, and gender and development. She has been active in the ecology movement since 1975 and is author of numerous publications, manuscripts, research reports, simulation games and other presentations on a wide range of issues concerning environmentally sustainable development. She holds graduate degrees from Harvard University and has worked with a variety of domestic and international non-governmental and governmental organizations, including the New Alchemy Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and The National Marine Fisheries Service, the World Bank, UNDP, UNIFEM, and USAID. Eileen Kane is a founder member of GroundWork.author of an innovative new book, Doing Your Own Research (Boyars, London, 2001).was professor and founder of the first Department of Anthropology in Ireland, and Chair of the Irish national aid program. She has worked with many national and international agencies including the World Bank, UNICEF, USAID, and CARE. For an application form and further details on this course, please write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
