“Participatory Action Research (PAR) challenges the belief that only academics or trained professionals can produce accurate information, and instead recognizes information as POWER and puts that power in the hands of people seeking to overcome problems in their daily lives. PAR is a collective process of investigation, empowerment, and action. The people most affected by the problems, sometimes with the help of “experts”, investigate and analyze the issues, and ultimately act together to bring about meaningful, long-term solutions.” (Highlander Research and Education Center)

DBP is hosting monthly sessions in East Durham for our neighbors to act as community researchers to collaborate with community members to answer the question, ‘What is one way we can reduce harm and violence and create more safety in our community using our own relationships and resources?’ Researchers plan to gather 100+ stories and images and synthesize that qualitative data to design an initiative to increase safety in East Durham. The research cohort will launch the results of the community-design process in Summer 2024 and take next steps to evaluate, sustain, or scale up their work during 2025-2026.