The IDS Participation, Inclusion and Social Change cluster is excited to announce the launch of the newly revamped ‘Participatory Methods’ website. The relaunch brings an array of new features and refreshed content to help users find relevant content to aid them in engaging with participatory research methods.
The website is influenced by IDS’s long history of participatory research and aims to support a range of people engaging with participatory methods including researchers, practitioners, and funders. The website is also designed to help members of the IDS and University of Sussex community such as staff, students and alumni wanting to learn more about participatory methods, and share experiences and learnings from their work.
The site has existed for over 20 years and previously received funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, for many years serving as an online catalogue connected to the Participation Resource Centre, a physical collection based in the Octagon at IDS. While the cluster aspires to obtain funding to digitise the physical collection, the newly developed website offers a more immediate accessible introduction to participatory research methods.
Tailored with input from a community of participatory researchers, from IDS, the University of Sussex, and partner organisations, the website contains a rich selection of learning materials on participatory research methods. The cluster has been collaborating with the University of Sussex on their commitment to participatory and community-led research and this website has received contributions of content and funding by the Sussex Participatory Research Network and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).
New resources
- What are participatory methods: An introduction to the defining features of participatory methods and the participatory paradigm, introducing key principles, foundations and influences, as well as examples of participatory research.
- Why fund participatory methods: A page exploring how and why funders can support participatory methods and approaches, providing guidance and possible solutions on common tensions faced by funders.
- Methodology pages: A set of pages on principles and guidance on different methodologies that sit within participatory research:
- Participatory Action Research
- Systemic Action Research
- Inclusive rigour
- Participatory monitoring and evaluation
- Participatory Video
- Rapid Action Learning
- Case study pages: Examples of projects where participatory methods have been implemented, and lessons learned.
- Tools pages: Tools are activities that can be used within participatory processes. Each page discusses the purpose, steps and important ethical considerations of conducting these activities.
We hope that this website, and new navigation features will help people feel more confident to implement participatory elements to their research, and help users find answers to queries or concerns they may have about participatory research methods.
In addition to the enhanced design, the site will continue to grow with new methodologies, case studies, resources, training opportunities, news and blogs, and external links, aiming to become a living digital library of relevant resources for people working with participatory methods.
“We are thrilled to be able to extend and improve the Participatory Methods website. It reflects our deep commitment to learning and sharing methods and good practice in participatory research. We hope you find it useful and inspiring, and use our resources to start conversations” – Jo Howard, Marina Apgar, Danny Burns, Tessa Lewin, Mariah Cannon, Alice Webb and Eve McKeown – who have led this work on behalf of the Participation, Inclusion and Social Change cluster at IDS.
Visit participatorymethods.org to explore the new site and learn more about the practice of participatory methods.
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