Transcript Finding Community Voice in A Global World: Linking Grassroots Projects Collaborative Research as an opportunity to challenge the “global trump card” Increasingly decisions made beyond.

Finding Community Voice in A
Global World: Linking
Grassroots Projects
Collaborative Research as an
opportunity to challenge the
“global trump card”
Increasingly decisions made beyond the
local level
government decisions
corporate decisions
National and world events have impact at
local level
But local events also have and can have an
impact at regional, national, and
international levels
Collaborative Research as an
opportunity to challenge the “global
trump card;” it’s a matter of….
not sitting back since “it’s all decided
somewhere else”
creating a grassroots voice at local,
regional, national, and international levels
strengthening networks in the U.S., Europe,
Australia, and other areas
Community voice is missing in national
and international policy-making process
National policy developed by “insidethe-beltway” think tanks and elite
universities
Difficulties in community-based
organizations accessing
national/international policy-making
circles
Loyola University of Chicago
Center for Urban Research & Learning
We have the potential for
creating “local-to-local”
international policy making
networks by weaving together
university:community
collaboratives at the
community level.
Creating grassroots-anchored
international policy-making
networks
This is made possible by….
improved access to sophisticated
communications systems
increased sophistication of community-based
organization leadership, national/international
connections more possible
increased access of faculty and students to
resources to connect them to international
networks
Loyola University of Chicago
Center for Urban Research & Learning
What are the implications for local-toglobal networks?
For community organizations:
regularizes communication with other organizations
with possible different, but useful, problem-solving
strategies
provides information from other cities/countries that
increases political influence locally
elevates the work of CBOs in eyes of potential
supporters
What are the implications for local-toglobal networks?
For universities:
provides comparative perspective/data which is at the
heart of most research
allows researchers to counter the bias in academia
that sees community-based research as parochial and
unimportant
creates opportunities for students and faculty to
increase knowledge base
Examples of growing
linkages:University of Birmingham UK
Exchange visits of faculty, students
and community leaders
Formal university exchange
Association House/Birmingham
Settlement House project
Developing housing, racial/ethnic
diversity projects
Loyola University of Chicago
Center for Urban Research & Learning
Examples of growing linkages:
University of Technology Sydney
UTS Shopfront
similar approaches to communityanchored research
sharing project information
parallel interests in racial/ethnic
diversity
potential for interdisciplinary work:
social sciences to engineering
Possible faculty, staff, community
leader, student exchanges
Loyola University of Chicago
Center for Urban Research & Learning
Examples of Growing Linkages:
LivingKnowledge Network
Science Shop Network
European Union
connections
Differences between
European & other
approaches in U.S. and
Australia
Loyola University of Chicago
Center for Urban Research & Learning