Our co-learning is based on Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s approach, as well as on decolonizing, indigenous and critical methodologies. We seek to inspire knowledge production through collective reflection and action drawn from cultural strengths, community knowledges, and evidence-based practice.
In Freire’s language, the purpose of education is human liberation, which “takes place to the extent that people reflect upon themselves and their condition in the world—the world in which and with which they find themselves . . . to the extent that they are more conscientizised, they will insert themselves as subjects into their own history” (Freire, 1971). To Freire, to be a good educator (or, for much of our work, to be a good ‘researcher’) “means above all to have faith in people; to believe in the possibility that they [we] can create and change things” (Freire, 1971).
We also draw from decolonizing and indigenous methodologies, recognizing their grounding in “Native self-determination with values, traditions, and environmental relationships that are deeply embedded within their own economic, political and cultural-social contexts. Critical methodologies, grounded in Freirian philosophy as well as critical socio-cultural studies, are approaches to inquiry that are socially constructed, emancipatory and empowering, and seek social justice.
Started in 2010, the UNM Community Based Participatory Research Institute weaves participatory research theory and practice with indigenous and critical methodologies through articles, presentations by community-academic partners, discussion, and self-reflection on our own research and practice. Participants will gain appreciation for advantages & challenges of this approach, and skills necessary for participating effectively in authentic partnered research and public health practice.
Training in Community Based Participatory Action Research and Empowerment: The Center for Participatory Research offers practice and research co-learning workshops and curriculum in community based participatory research and participatory action. The workshops draw from Engage for Equity best practices to strengthen partnerships, Freirian liberatory education, and empowerment principles and strategies with goals of enhancing health, social, and racial equity. In multiple versions since 2000, produced with Latin American colleagues in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, currently on line is version 2, with version 3 to be uploaded in 2023. Contact Nina Wallerstein at nwallerstein@salud.unm.edu for opportunities specific to your project or site.
The New Mexico Community Based Participatory Action and Research Training (NM CBPAR) is the newest education project developed by the UNM Academic Health Department team. The goal of this training is to share best practices around engaging with communities as research partners. Seven modules were created to allow for a hybrid approach of in-person and online learning. The CBPAR curriculum was piloted from December 2022-April 2023 with 70 participants working on health issues existing in New Mexico, collaborating around the culture and history of the state. The second iteration of this training will begin in the fall of 2023 in partnership with NMSU and the southwest region health council and health promotion teams.