Fostering Inclusion and Connection through Community Engagement and PAR

This year’s event celebrates the power of collaboration, connection and inclusivity by exploring how community engagement and participatory research can positively transform antagonism, social differences and intra/inter-community tensions. A focus on praxis further acknowledges the range of relational, emotional, ethics and practical work required to deliver the promises of community engaged/participatory research. It poses questions on the knowledge and skills needed to promote genuine co-production which is now championed widely in policy making and professional service development.

The day features a keynote and two rounds of parallel workshops, offering practical insights into topics such as neuroinclusive PAR, pluralism in participatory research, working with communities, peer research and mobility, and engaging with community groups to encourage dialogue and co-learning.

Enjoy a networking lunch and informal discussions throughout the day. We conclude with a closing plenary to reflect on key takeaways and identify next steps for creating inclusive and connective spaces in socially and politically divided times.

Join us to explore the theme and the innovative approaches for building inclusive environments that empower communities and foster meaningful partnerships.

Fees per day: Waged - £50; Students and people on low incomes - £25; Unwaged members of community organisations – free; 20 free places per day are available for DU staff (funded by UKRI Participatory Fund).

BOOKING: The event is in-person only and booking is essential using this booking link: https://pay.durham.ac.uk/event-durham/fostering-inclusion-and-connection-through-community-engagement-and-participatory-research

Conference Programme (tentative)

09:00 – 10:00 Registration & Coffee (bar lounge)

10:00 – 10:10 Opening Remarks (main theatre)
Welcome and introduction to the theme and objectives of the day.

10:10 – 11:10 Keynote conversations & Q&A (main theatre)
Panel Speakers: Bargallie, Gaynor Trueman and others TBC
Exact title TBC, but will be related to the main them of Fostering Inclusion and Connection through Community Engagement and PAR

11:10 – 11:50 Facilitated Conversations (bar lounge, including the morning break)
Interactive discussions on fostering inclusive spaces and community engagement.

11:50 – 12:00 Walking to the breakout rooms

12:00 – 13:30 Parallel Workshops – Session 1
Choose one of the following:

1. Neuroinclusive PAR (MHL TBC)
Facilitators: Janelle Rabe, Chole Huang, Cait Jobson, Alison Jobe

This interactive workshop introduces neuro-inclusive and ethical approaches for PAR, including how we emotionally and relationally prepare ourselves before entering research spaces. We will share findings on the principles, best practices, and common challenges in neuro-inclusive PAR with young people. We will also discuss practical examples of applying these principles, based on recent work by researchers at the Centre for Social Justice and the Centre for Neurodiversity.

Using the visual guide on navigating participatory research, participants will join creative, reflective activities that explore how to weave neuro-inclusive strategies into different stages of their own research or community work. This session aims to help build confidence and spark new ideas through collaborative dialogue and hands-on learning.

2. Participatory dance-making: making sense, making meaning, and making the invisible visible (MHL Bar Lounge)
Facilitators: Emily Davis and Sarah Banks

This movement-centred workshop will explore the potential of dance as a participatory method of knowledge creation and translation, a way of making sense of experiences, making meaning collectively, and making the invisible visible through embodied practice. Drawing on participatory research undertaken with Scottish Ballet’s dance for multiple sclerosis (MS) programme, this workshop will offer insight into our collaborative processes of knowledge creation via co-designing a movement-based interview method, as well as knowledge translation via the co-choreography of a dance performance about dancing with MS. Additional practical examples and exercises will also be introduced to illustrate how dance can be drawn on in inclusive, collaborative community engagement in different contexts. Key ethical considerations will also be addressed, both physical and emotional, when undertaking movement-based research and community collaborations. This workshop will involve creative, movement, and critical tasks, so please do be prepared to engage with your mind and body.

13:30 – 14:30 Lunch & Networking

14:30 – 16:00 Parallel Workshops – Session 2
Choose one of the following:

3. Community-led research: learning from experience (MHL TBC)
Facilitator: Steve Crossley and others

4. Take part in a 'weaving trust' strategy of community cohesion

Facilitator: Prof Helen Jarvis, Professor Emerita (Newcastle University) and William Leech Research Fellowship

This workshop introduces ‘weaving trust’ is a prototype strategy of community cohesion that education, faith and charity sector institutions can practice in a community organising alliance such as Citizens UK. It is a ‘relational experiment’ that has been developed in direct response to the divisive tendency of our media and politics to set people apart in terms of race, religion, gender, and the language of ‘big difference’. It advances the primary community organising tool of the one-to-One (121) conversation. This involves each person in a pair taking turns to speak while the other listens conscientiously. It is not a superficial conversation but focussed on aspects of self-interest that allow two people to share what they really care about.

We will focus on why relationship building should be a priority of community engagement and how to foster trust and empathy by practicing and deepening skills of listening, authentic relationships, and the ‘mixing of human spirits’. We will then all take part in a sequence of one-to-one conversations (4 x 10 minutes, turn-taking in pairs) using prompts intended to foster our ability to find common ground with people that are different to us. A final discussion and evaluation will consider how to host an inclusive relational workshop.

Engaging Young People in Cycling/Active Travel (MHL TBC)
Facilitator: Sue Shaw and Gerard New

16:15 – 16:30 Closing & Reflections
Summary of key insights and next steps for fostering inclusive and connected spaces.

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Host or Publisher Department of Sociology