Thread by @RohanIrvine

Next up is @kellyanagram presenting

Dimming your Light for Others to Shine: Sharing Power in Social Design Research

#dr2020

Kelly acknowledges the traditional owners of the land (I will post the longer acknowledgement when I post this)

Kelly Ann wants us to think about our power as researchers, who ever holds the pen tells the story.

For marginalised and underrepresented communities it's important they are able to tell their own narratives.

Over the last 5 years Kelly has been hearing troubling things from people.

They would like you to think about the things that come from being a family or community that is continually researched.

Many of us are still in a space where these things continue to happen.

When we talk about power we don't usually talk about power.

In our work as social designers many of the people we work with can't rock these boxes and it creates a power differential.

If we don't name power we add to people's shame and inability to control their own lives

How would you answer these questions about power?

Unfortunately research is a tool that can be weaponised mad lead to the disadvantagement of people and we as researchers may not see our impact.

When Kelly Ann pits their ear to the group they hear from the community they heard the insights on the right column.

Sometimes we write over black spaces with white words.

Communities are asking for:
More self determination
More decolonising
More transformative justice

And we can act as agents reinforcing all of those if we aren't careful.

Hopefully that leaves us all a little uncomfortable, and ready to take on a new perspective.

Can we move from the left of the screen to the right of the screen.

As much as we try for diversity we as the researcher need move to a trainer and coach when peer researching in a community we are not a part of, and help community research for themselves.

In order to dim our light we need to move out of the researcher frame 'i could do this better' to how we can help communities achieve and determine their needs.

People are willing to give so much more than we let them

Kelly Ann's methodology for shifting our practice to be community lead research.

4 Principles that underpin the approach

Relational
Affirming
Direct
Nuance and subtlety

Where Kelly Ann first encountered this methodology

Kelly Ann created a project for TACSI after they met Diana, who had incredible tacit experience but may not have the status to create solutions for their space.

Learn from each other and develop unique responses based on that learning as an alternative to the current system.

It's about getting out of the way so they can build their leadership.

In a project in Aotearoa for young people who drove on the wrong license the underlying assumption was young kids were naughty.

What they heard back was that there were a set of social and cultural norms compelling young people to drive without a license

The group of community insights gathers were able to make change in the community as they gathered insights.

Val on the left was found in the insight gathering initiative and eventually lead the entire project after having their capacity built up.

The power of hearing someone from community talk about their own experience is so much more powerful.

The video was sent to the minister who made changes based on hearing the experiences.

In South Australia they hired young people to interview older people from communities that don't age well, the insights gathered directly from people have informed the SA ageing policies.

In Auckland (?) They recruited parents as information gathers to interview other parents. They again met a powerful woman who went on the lead the project.

So what are the impacts of using this methodology?

Tip: Tap into peoples desire to contribute, recognise it financially, socially and attribute that work.

Tip: We have to recruit for the diversity we want to reach.

If your insight gathers aren't diverse it's unlikely their networks will be.

Tip: Build intervention into research approaches

Our research CAN be an intervention if designed.

People will not reach the level of specialisation in your practice. And that's okay.

As you bring people together you're really aiming to build the social connection in the insight gathering group and teach the difference between a conversation and an insight gathering convo

Use learning maps (from the 8 ways of Aboriginal learning)

Where are you trying to go in your conversation and provide sign posts.

Tip: Ensure the insight gatherers can share their own story.

They have to share before they can go out into community and hear others.

Make sure you're always checking in

Tip: Don't leave insight gatherers in the field too long

You can lose momentum and stories of left out too long.

Slow down and minimise the amount of writing people are doing.

We must elevate what we have heard and focus on the pride of the stories that have been shared!

When is come to social research

To communities that have been spoken about.

Let's move from Can We to Should We

Are you the best person to have these conversations? If not, who is!

Q: Ownership, how open are people to taking ownership of insights and solutions?
A: I've always been completely floored by how much people want ownership in community. When we ask and offer support over never had someone say 'no thanks' it's about us taking on a different role

Q: How do you go about recruiting the insight gatherers?
A: People who are held in high regard in a community, social media, I don't work with peak organisation they tend to talk on behalf of people without a strong relationship.

Absolutely incredible talk from @kellyanagram this has been my favourite of the conference so far!!!!

@threadreaderapp unroll please!