Why have Informal Science Institutions not made significant advances in fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM? Three years ago, 15 community leaders representing underserved communities throughout the U.S.A. set out to find some answers so we could better understand why implementing effective STEM programming in underserved communities remains fraught with challenges. We initiated community-based participatory research, using Grounded Theory approaches, and asked more than 30 community organizations to weigh in. We, as community researchers, participated in all phases of the research and collectively created a framework that highlights the following themes: 1) trust and transparency, 2) power and privilege, 3) commitment and collaboration, and 4) realities and relevance.
This work evolved from our NSF AISL grant project, Collaborative Research: Examining Contextual Factors that Influence the Implementation of Projects Designed to Improve Cultural Diversity in Informal STEM Programming. We call our group of community researchers “The ICBOs” (Independent Community-based Organizations). The ICBOs have collectively used our strengths and expertise to delve deeper and more meaningfully into community perspectives. We have led this exploration authentically and independently.
Sometimes research approaches themselves can be part of the problem when trying to understand equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. For instance, even informed researchers may tend to use frameworks and literature that originate in the dominant culture to inform their research; ask questions that may not really get at the issues; and may leave underserved communities feeling as if they are being studied. These problems create an even greater sense of mistrust. Knowing this, the ICBOs wanted to lead research that would, instead, represent our communities’ perspectives.
In this video, the ICBOs discuss the preliminary results of our research.
Special thanks to the WorldBeat Center in San Diego, one of the community organizations leading this research, for producing our video.
Discussion from the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase (27 posts)
Jamie Bell
Facilitator Project Director and PI
May 14, 2018 | 03:19 p.m.
Thank you for this compelling video, Marilu. It makes a strong case for developing any program project starting from authentic community need. Would love to hear more about how the grounded theory and community-based participatory research have manifest in design elements and how they are being assessed.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 14, 2018 | 09:13 p.m.
HI Jamie,
Thanks so much for watching our video. This video represents the work of "the ICBOs" (Independent Community-based Organizations). We are fifteen community leaders from organizations representing underserved communities across the U.S. In November of 2015, after one and a half years of building trust with one another, we began the ambitious task of carrying out Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to understand barriers and opportunities to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM programming. We have established a vision and mission for our group and rules that guide our work (based on the Jemez Principles). These include equitable credit, fair representation at conferences and dissemination venues, inclusiveness and transparency, equitable compensation for community expertise, bottom-up organization, letting communities speak for themselves, consensus, solidarity, and mutuality. In using CBPR, we have built on strengths and developed collaborative, equitable partnerships in all phases of research. We are committed to producing outcomes that mutually benefit all partners, promoting co-learning, and attending to social inequities.
We chose to use Grounded Theory approaches because we wanted to directly uncover perspectives of our communities and we felt it was important to minimize preconceptions from the dominant culture. We began with reflexive, intuitive questions; these led to a collection of questions and protocols for a survey and follow-up interviews that have been administered to a total of 30 individuals representing historically underrepresented communities so far. These tools have led to qualitative data rich in content and depth. We collectively analyzed the data and obtained preliminary results presented at over 15 conferences so far. We have created two workbooks (one for STEM serving institutions and one for community–based organizations) and four scientific posters to disseminate research results in a practical manner for organizations that want to achieve more equitable partnerships.
It's interesting—I feel like Marilu's focus is the project equivalent of something like the UX/UI discussions that developers undergo when creating applications and web experiences for visitors. It's so easy for people to take it for granted or overlook the need for authenticity and relevance when they're focused on their own goals and constructs. Looking forward to seeing the outcomes of this project!
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 15, 2018 | 07:21 p.m.
Thanks for your comments, Charles. I don’t really feel like this is "my focus!” I feel proud to say that this is the work of ALL the community researchers. It is everyone's focus, drive, and passion. Since the beginning, the community researchers wanted to focus on their community’s experience and needs. It has been exciting.
The research is informed by the community experience instead of the established literature because the established literature is informed by the dominant culture. The insights that we have gained have helped each one of us (community leader-researchers) to apply purposely what we have learned.
1
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Charles Eldermire
Karen Purcell
Co-Presenter Project Director
May 16, 2018 | 12:18 p.m.
Hi Charles. I love your comment. I had never thought of it that way -- but I bet you are right. It needs to be real!!
1
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Found helpful:
Charles Eldermire
Jamie Bell
Facilitator Project Director and PI
May 15, 2018 | 10:48 a.m.
Thanks Marilu. Really thoughtful, inclusive front end work that starts from values, as Charles noticed. Am I correct that part of this work is also a citizen science project called "Celebrate Urban Birds"? Seems that products like the workbooks could have wide applications in the design of informal STEM learning settings and experiences.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 15, 2018 | 07:24 p.m.
This video (and the ICBO research) stems from the NSF funded project you mention and has developed into its own separate strand of research.
Celebrate Urban Birds is a component of this work and we are using the findings to inform the project.
We are really excited about the potential impact of the workbooks and other dissemination tools. We are working on a video in which we share the results through dance/movement and all the workbooks are very visual — they include original art by the ICBOs and other community artists.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 12:52 p.m.
Thank you so much for your comment, Jamie.
Karen Purcell
Co-Presenter Project Director
May 15, 2018 | 12:00 p.m.
Hi Jamie. Just to add to Marilú's comments, this project is a collaborative research project so although there is no evaluation - we do have a Committee of Visitors (COV) serving in the role of "critical friends" of the research.
Karen
Kalie Sacco
Facilitator
May 15, 2018 | 05:37 p.m.
Hi team, thanks for sharing your project. I noted in Marilu's first comment that the 15 ICBOs spent over a year gaining each other's trust before officially embarking on the work. Pulling together that large set of diverse partners is ambitious, but incredibly valuable! I am curious to know what the impetus for this project was, how you all got together in the first place, and what challenges you have encountered in pulling together a large collaboration.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 12:51 p.m.
The ICBO research stems from an NSF funded collaborative research project. The ICBOs joined the project as advisors, to ground original research looking at how 5 community-based organizations paired with informal science education institutions implemented a citizen science project. They were eager to participate as advisors, but became frustrated once they realized that research questions and approach developed from mainstream academic literature did not represent their point of view. They also felt that academic language is a barrier that makes communities feel studied and does not provide meaningful access to the research that they could use, in a practical way, in their communities. With excitement, they thought: What if we do the research the other way around... coming from the community? Will the results be different? Would the outcome be different? Would it add what may be missing after so many years of studies into increasing EDI and participation in diverse and underserved communities? They embarked on the task of starting their own research and that is when the second strand of research began.
The ICBO group is composed of community leaders from different areas (arts, hunting/fishing, theater, music, urban farming, homeless intervention, underserved community services...). All have in common a passion for what they do and to work for the benefit of their respective communities.
They found they had many common experiences in their collaborations with large institutions and soon were comfortable sharing those experiences with each other. They shared ideas about how they work and without planning it, a community was born. Trust developed by talking openly about mistakes and inequities and by making sure that everybody had space and safety to find solutions and say what needed to be said. The ICBOs are outspoken, welcoming and feel comfortable with each other.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 12:52 p.m.
I hope this answers your questions. Thank you so much!
Kalie Sacco
Facilitator
May 16, 2018 | 12:57 p.m.
Thanks for the thorough response! What strikes me is that there seems to have been a kind of synergy among the partners in this project. What are your thoughts on replicability in other communities?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 01:41 p.m.
Hi Kalie. This is not unique, this is replicable, indeed. To work properly it has to be genuine, transparent and the organizations involved should share a sense of service. The research questions need to come from the community and the outcomes must benefit the community.
Jenna Welsh
Graduate Student
May 15, 2018 | 10:11 p.m.
This is such a well-done video. This is such an important area to explore and understand. It's interesting you spent a long time first establishing trust within the group. I think that's an important but often overlooked step in projects like these.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 12:58 p.m.
Thanks, Jenna. It was such a wonderful group effort. We agree that this is a key to develop meaningful long-term collaborations.
Thank you so much for your video! I appreciate your dedication to community-based participatory research that is working to transform the dominant research paradigm. I understand that the focus of your work is to understand barriers and opportunities to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM programming and build more equitable partnerships. I am wondering what types of STEM problems or projects your communities have been working on. From earlier comments it looks as though one project has to do with Celebrating Urban birds. Could you talk some more about this project? Also, are any community groups tackling environmental racism issues such as lead paint and water contamination, urban food deserts, or hazardous waste facility siting?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 01:18 p.m.
Thank you, Laura. This group is using Celebrate Urban Birds (celebrateurbanbirds.org) as a STEAM component, but what this community-based participatory research is looking at is inequitable collaborations between informal science institutions and community-based organizations and the lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in the sciences. The work points directly to issues of power and privilege and institutional racism.
Each of the communities participating in the research are using the results in their own communities which include urban farming, healing through music, hunting/fishing, birding, etc.
Bobby Wilson
Informal Educator
May 16, 2018 | 01:27 p.m.
(Bobby Wilson and ICBO)
I have just viewed the finish product of the video for the first time. My hat goes off to the WorldBeat Cultural Center and the team that worked on this great piece of art. As an ICBO, I would like to say thanks to the team for letting me be a part of bringing this work to the forefront of educators, community leaders, those that are left out of the mainstream of society and most of all to those that are in high places. To all of you that viewed this video please join the Power of 30 to help keep this work at the top of everyone agenda.
Join us in Atlanta, Georgia, September 13-16, 2018 for the American Community Gardening Association 39th Annual Conference and a full day pre-conference workshop around the video. For more information around the pre-conference visit communitygarden.org.
1
Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available
Found helpful:
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 09:00 p.m.
Thank you, Bobby. We are honored to have you in our group.
Preeti Gupta
Facilitator Director of Youth Learning and Research
May 16, 2018 | 08:01 p.m.
This is such inspiration work! And so needed! Could you talk more about how the work of the ICBO's is getting disseminated to the science museums? Would you considering presenting at the Association of Science and Technology Centers Conference?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 16, 2018 | 11:39 p.m.
Thank you for your comment, Preeti. Members of the ICBOs have been sharing the results of their research at conferences like the Science Education for Equity, Diversity and Social Justice (S.E.E.D.S.), the American Indian Science & Engineering Society regional conference, the National Heirloom Expo, the American Community Gardening Association, among others.
We've produced posters created with art from the community artists, one workbook for informal science institutions and we are working on one for community-based organizations, and dissemination through artistic expressions. We have shared the posters on our blog: https://power30icbos.blogspot.com/ and we also have a FaceBook page: Community Perspectives https://www.facebook.com/groups/1566672026757294/
Last year we had a poster session at the ASTC Conference in California. This year we’ll be at the poster session again in October. We are looking forward to seeing you.
Sincerest congratulations on this! As a long-time producer, I'm thrilled to see such beautiful cinematography, creative edits, polished graphics, and well-selected music. You do your mission justice with the quality of your visual storytelling.
More importantly, though, I really appreciate what you are doing with CBPR and equity, diversity, and inclusion. This is such important work, and I believe your approach -- from the ground up, working with community leaders -- is powerful. We are doing something similar with Explorer At Large (our NSF video can be found here), working on disrupting PreK-12 STEM education by going after the kids first through curiosity. Get the kids onboard, and the teachers, administrators, and parents will follow.
When time allows, I would love to have a longer conversation about your vision and work, but for now I am more than happy to give you my vote for Presenter's Choice. Best of luck using storytelling and Grounded Theory to effect social change!
[And Go Big Red! - Cornell Class of '93]
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 17, 2018 | 07:04 p.m.
Thank you for your comments and wishes, Josh. We are happy to learn about so many projects that share the same interests! We'd love to have a longer conversation. Feel free to contact me at marilu@cornell.edu. Wishing you success in all you do and in your project.
Jamie Bell
Facilitator Project Director and PI
May 18, 2018 | 07:55 a.m.
Thank you for the thoughtful replies and thorough explanation throughout, Marilu and Karen. It's important for the designers, evaluators and researchers in our field to know about this work and learn about the challenges that you are navigating. Would really like to hear about what happens when theory is applied to practice in the Urban Birds component of the work, for example. Kudos.
Karen Purcell
Co-Presenter Project Director
May 18, 2018 | 10:19 a.m.
Hi Jamie, We'd love to talk to you about how we are applying what we are learning to Celebrate Urban Birds. This project has been transformative. We've changed. From looking inward to understand how Institutional Racism manifests in our partnerships and projects to providing meaningful access to our partners. We're beginning to co-create local projects that are meaningful to the communities we are working with and have begun to understand the meaning of long-term commitment (beyond the grant funding period). Our understanding of trust and transparency have changed. The language we use, venues, and timing of communication have changed. And most of all our understanding of who benefits in citizen science projects has changed. We have begun to welcome mistakes and are committed to learning from the communities we are working with so we can increase the depth of our collective impact. We're also committed to paying for community expertise equitably and committed to using community-based participatory research. We could go on and on -- this is a learning process and we have only just begun to apply the findings of our work.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Lead Presenter Project Assistant
May 18, 2018 | 04:07 p.m.
Thank you for your comments, Jamie. In addition to Karen’s answer, we have learned that we cannot speak for the communities we are partnering with. We must develop the trust and create a safe space for communities to speak for themselves.
Also, changing meeting venues has been a transformative step in our work. For the last two years, at the invitation and suggestion from the community researchers, we began holding our meetings in the communities where the community-based organizations are rooted in. It has been an amazing and powerful experience.
Jamie Bell
Project Director and PI
Thank you for this compelling video, Marilu. It makes a strong case for developing any program project starting from authentic community need. Would love to hear more about how the grounded theory and community-based participatory research have manifest in design elements and how they are being assessed.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
HI Jamie,
Thanks so much for watching our video. This video represents the work of "the ICBOs" (Independent Community-based Organizations). We are fifteen community leaders from organizations representing underserved communities across the U.S. In November of 2015, after one and a half years of building trust with one another, we began the ambitious task of carrying out Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to understand barriers and opportunities to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM programming. We have established a vision and mission for our group and rules that guide our work (based on the Jemez Principles). These include equitable credit, fair representation at conferences and dissemination venues, inclusiveness and transparency, equitable compensation for community expertise, bottom-up organization, letting communities speak for themselves, consensus, solidarity, and mutuality. In using CBPR, we have built on strengths and developed collaborative, equitable partnerships in all phases of research. We are committed to producing outcomes that mutually benefit all partners, promoting co-learning, and attending to social inequities.
We chose to use Grounded Theory approaches because we wanted to directly uncover perspectives of our communities and we felt it was important to minimize preconceptions from the dominant culture. We began with reflexive, intuitive questions; these led to a collection of questions and protocols for a survey and follow-up interviews that have been administered to a total of 30 individuals representing historically underrepresented communities so far. These tools have led to qualitative data rich in content and depth. We collectively analyzed the data and obtained preliminary results presented at over 15 conferences so far. We have created two workbooks (one for STEM serving institutions and one for community–based organizations) and four scientific posters to disseminate research results in a practical manner for organizations that want to achieve more equitable partnerships.
Please let us know what you think!
Charles Eldermire
It's interesting—I feel like Marilu's focus is the project equivalent of something like the UX/UI discussions that developers undergo when creating applications and web experiences for visitors. It's so easy for people to take it for granted or overlook the need for authenticity and relevance when they're focused on their own goals and constructs. Looking forward to seeing the outcomes of this project!
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thanks for your comments, Charles. I don’t really feel like this is "my focus!” I feel proud to say that this is the work of ALL the community researchers. It is everyone's focus, drive, and passion. Since the beginning, the community researchers wanted to focus on their community’s experience and needs. It has been exciting.
The research is informed by the community experience instead of the established literature because the established literature is informed by the dominant culture. The insights that we have gained have helped each one of us (community leader-researchers) to apply purposely what we have learned.
Charles Eldermire
Karen Purcell
Project Director
Hi Charles. I love your comment. I had never thought of it that way -- but I bet you are right. It needs to be real!!
Charles Eldermire
Jamie Bell
Project Director and PI
Thanks Marilu. Really thoughtful, inclusive front end work that starts from values, as Charles noticed. Am I correct that part of this work is also a citizen science project called "Celebrate Urban Birds"? Seems that products like the workbooks could have wide applications in the design of informal STEM learning settings and experiences.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
This video (and the ICBO research) stems from the NSF funded project you mention and has developed into its own separate strand of research.
Celebrate Urban Birds is a component of this work and we are using the findings to inform the project.
We are really excited about the potential impact of the workbooks and other dissemination tools. We are working on a video in which we share the results through dance/movement and all the workbooks are very visual — they include original art by the ICBOs and other community artists.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you so much for your comment, Jamie.
Karen Purcell
Project Director
Hi Jamie. Just to add to Marilú's comments, this project is a collaborative research project so although there is no evaluation - we do have a Committee of Visitors (COV) serving in the role of "critical friends" of the research.
Karen
Kalie Sacco
Hi team, thanks for sharing your project. I noted in Marilu's first comment that the 15 ICBOs spent over a year gaining each other's trust before officially embarking on the work. Pulling together that large set of diverse partners is ambitious, but incredibly valuable! I am curious to know what the impetus for this project was, how you all got together in the first place, and what challenges you have encountered in pulling together a large collaboration.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
The ICBO research stems from an NSF funded collaborative research project. The ICBOs joined the project as advisors, to ground original research looking at how 5 community-based organizations paired with informal science education institutions implemented a citizen science project. They were eager to participate as advisors, but became frustrated once they realized that research questions and approach developed from mainstream academic literature did not represent their point of view. They also felt that academic language is a barrier that makes communities feel studied and does not provide meaningful access to the research that they could use, in a practical way, in their communities. With excitement, they thought: What if we do the research the other way around... coming from the community? Will the results be different? Would the outcome be different? Would it add what may be missing after so many years of studies into increasing EDI and participation in diverse and underserved communities? They embarked on the task of starting their own research and that is when the second strand of research began.
The ICBO group is composed of community leaders from different areas (arts, hunting/fishing, theater, music, urban farming, homeless intervention, underserved community services...). All have in common a passion for what they do and to work for the benefit of their respective communities.
They found they had many common experiences in their collaborations with large institutions and soon were comfortable sharing those experiences with each other. They shared ideas about how they work and without planning it, a community was born. Trust developed by talking openly about mistakes and inequities and by making sure that everybody had space and safety to find solutions and say what needed to be said. The ICBOs are outspoken, welcoming and feel comfortable with each other.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
I hope this answers your questions. Thank you so much!
Kalie Sacco
Thanks for the thorough response! What strikes me is that there seems to have been a kind of synergy among the partners in this project. What are your thoughts on replicability in other communities?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Hi Kalie. This is not unique, this is replicable, indeed. To work properly it has to be genuine, transparent and the organizations involved should share a sense of service. The research questions need to come from the community and the outcomes must benefit the community.
Jenna Welsh
This is such a well-done video. This is such an important area to explore and understand. It's interesting you spent a long time first establishing trust within the group. I think that's an important but often overlooked step in projects like these.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thanks, Jenna. It was such a wonderful group effort. We agree that this is a key to develop meaningful long-term collaborations.
Laura Rodriguez
Thank you so much for your video! I appreciate your dedication to community-based participatory research that is working to transform the dominant research paradigm. I understand that the focus of your work is to understand barriers and opportunities to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM programming and build more equitable partnerships. I am wondering what types of STEM problems or projects your communities have been working on. From earlier comments it looks as though one project has to do with Celebrating Urban birds. Could you talk some more about this project? Also, are any community groups tackling environmental racism issues such as lead paint and water contamination, urban food deserts, or hazardous waste facility siting?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you, Laura. This group is using Celebrate Urban Birds (celebrateurbanbirds.org) as a STEAM component, but what this community-based participatory research is looking at is inequitable collaborations between informal science institutions and community-based organizations and the lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in the sciences. The work points directly to issues of power and privilege and institutional racism.
Each of the communities participating in the research are using the results in their own communities which include urban farming, healing through music, hunting/fishing, birding, etc.
Bobby Wilson
(Bobby Wilson and ICBO)
I have just viewed the finish product of the video for the first time. My hat goes off to the WorldBeat Cultural Center and the team that worked on this great piece of art. As an ICBO, I would like to say thanks to the team for letting me be a part of bringing this work to the forefront of educators, community leaders, those that are left out of the mainstream of society and most of all to those that are in high places. To all of you that viewed this video please join the Power of 30 to help keep this work at the top of everyone agenda.
Join us in Atlanta, Georgia, September 13-16, 2018 for the American Community Gardening Association 39th Annual Conference and a full day pre-conference workshop around the video. For more information around the pre-conference visit communitygarden.org.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you, Bobby. We are honored to have you in our group.
Preeti Gupta
Director of Youth Learning and Research
This is such inspiration work! And so needed! Could you talk more about how the work of the ICBO's is getting disseminated to the science museums? Would you considering presenting at the Association of Science and Technology Centers Conference?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you for your comment, Preeti. Members of the ICBOs have been sharing the results of their research at conferences like the Science Education for Equity, Diversity and Social Justice (S.E.E.D.S.), the American Indian Science & Engineering Society regional conference, the National Heirloom Expo, the American Community Gardening Association, among others.
We've produced posters created with art from the community artists, one workbook for informal science institutions and we are working on one for community-based organizations, and dissemination through artistic expressions. We have shared the posters on our blog: https://power30icbos.blogspot.com/ and we also have a FaceBook page: Community Perspectives https://www.facebook.com/groups/1566672026757294/
Last year we had a poster session at the ASTC Conference in California. This year we’ll be at the poster session again in October. We are looking forward to seeing you.
Josh Bernstein
Marilu, Makeda, and Karen,
Sincerest congratulations on this! As a long-time producer, I'm thrilled to see such beautiful cinematography, creative edits, polished graphics, and well-selected music. You do your mission justice with the quality of your visual storytelling.
More importantly, though, I really appreciate what you are doing with CBPR and equity, diversity, and inclusion. This is such important work, and I believe your approach -- from the ground up, working with community leaders -- is powerful. We are doing something similar with Explorer At Large (our NSF video can be found here), working on disrupting PreK-12 STEM education by going after the kids first through curiosity. Get the kids onboard, and the teachers, administrators, and parents will follow.
When time allows, I would love to have a longer conversation about your vision and work, but for now I am more than happy to give you my vote for Presenter's Choice. Best of luck using storytelling and Grounded Theory to effect social change!
[And Go Big Red! - Cornell Class of '93]
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you for your comments and wishes, Josh. We are happy to learn about so many projects that share the same interests! We'd love to have a longer conversation. Feel free to contact me at marilu@cornell.edu.
Wishing you success in all you do and in your project.
Jamie Bell
Project Director and PI
Thank you for the thoughtful replies and thorough explanation throughout, Marilu and Karen. It's important for the designers, evaluators and researchers in our field to know about this work and learn about the challenges that you are navigating. Would really like to hear about what happens when theory is applied to practice in the Urban Birds component of the work, for example. Kudos.
Karen Purcell
Project Director
Hi Jamie, We'd love to talk to you about how we are applying what we are learning to Celebrate Urban Birds. This project has been transformative. We've changed. From looking inward to understand how Institutional Racism manifests in our partnerships and projects to providing meaningful access to our partners. We're beginning to co-create local projects that are meaningful to the communities we are working with and have begun to understand the meaning of long-term commitment (beyond the grant funding period). Our understanding of trust and transparency have changed. The language we use, venues, and timing of communication have changed. And most of all our understanding of who benefits in citizen science projects has changed. We have begun to welcome mistakes and are committed to learning from the communities we are working with so we can increase the depth of our collective impact. We're also committed to paying for community expertise equitably and committed to using community-based participatory research. We could go on and on -- this is a learning process and we have only just begun to apply the findings of our work.
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Project Assistant
Thank you for your comments, Jamie. In addition to Karen’s answer, we have learned that we cannot speak for the communities we are partnering with. We must develop the trust and create a safe space for communities to speak for themselves.
Also, changing meeting venues has been a transformative step in our work. For the last two years, at the invitation and suggestion from the community researchers, we began holding our meetings in the communities where the community-based organizations are rooted in. It has been an amazing and powerful experience.
Further posting is closed as the event has ended.