Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network

1. International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy Panel on collaborative and partnership research Palais de congrès, Montréal October 19, 2011 Partners in Research By Leslie Brown Mount Saint Vincent University Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network Partenariat sur l’économie sociale et la durabilité Bridging, Bonding, and Building / Renforcement des liens et des capacités www.msvu.ca/socialeconomyatlantic

2. Map of the 4 Atlantic Provinces of Canada

4. Partnership was funded by SSHRC SESRN as an intentional creation, a (time-limited) community of practice covering large geographic distances & a highly diverse membership SESRN focus on partners from the grass-roots Influenced by the particular qualities of the SE as an arena of activity based on particular sets of values such as participation/inclusion, solidarity, autonomy, and citizenship Context

5. Expectations from the SE community partners “My experience with this work is that it is quite inclusive and respectful. Not only does this approach work, it is a necessary approach when dealing with community groups” (emphasis added, Daughton , 2011) Context

6. Iterative processes for a collaborative & sustainable research partnership BEHAVIOUR PLANNINGOUTCOMES Ongoing self-assessment

7. A Critical Factor in Success For SESRN, success in ‘getting the research and dissemination done’ was integrally linked with ‘following the appropriate processes’, ‘maintaining respectful relationships’, and ‘mutual learning’.

9. Comment from an academic partner • …we made a conscious decision right off the top not to rush things, and we took the better part of a year to [build the partnership]. The other thing … was that we decided to trust one another and to just share the money up front and put it in the hands of local committees [sub-nodes] who then did what they needed to do with it… I think these two decisions made this project a success. Development of a Partnership

10. Comment from a community partner: • “Personally, I think that the main partnership-building success was that there was attention paid to the meaningful participation of all partners from the very beginning … engagement wasn’t just lip service” Development of a Partnership

11. Building & sustaining a community of practice and negotiated equality (bridging, bonding, allocating resources) • Workload, workflow, and balancing the various priorities (i.e. focus on processes & the work itself) • Accountability and record keeping • (internal and external accountabilities ; multiple criteria for judging success) Recognizing Challenges & Addressing Them

12. An academic partner spoke about workload & accountability: “But being rooted in the community organization and having to do research that is sensible to them, that makes a difference to them, is key to how you then conduct the whole thing, and in the pressures you then have, because there is responsibility and accountability to them, to deliver something that they can show they spent their time wisely … [and] because it is asking a lot of them in voluntary time. “ Recognizing Challenges & Addressing Them

13. A community partner commented: “I’ve really been interested in the different priorities between community and academic research and how there isn’t an easy balance in meeting everyone’s needs. … I wasn’t really happy about that at times, but it was a really good opportunity to understand why it is the way it is and to think about how you take these two different needs (the need to publish and the need to do) and blend them into something that achieves the best we can, and reflect the different focuses.” Recognizing Challenges & Addressing Them

14. Time to talk and get to know one another. Time for FUN! Here we enjoy a dance performance.

15. Products (available and on the way) • Professional, political and social networks • Policy development and links with governments • New organizations within the SE; individual and organizational capacity and careers • Participation in new CURAs and in smaller collaborative projects Legacy

16. A recognition of the value of collaborating in order to influence policy through research + now have linkages • A reinforcement of an appetite for being involved in policy making – now with the vocabulary of co-construction, and knowledge that in other provinces strides are being made • Debates about the nature of social enterprise and the need for enabling policies • ACCSE (and its links within each province) as an organization that is helping to move a policy agenda forward Legacy - Policy

17. One community partner reported (academics agreed): “It truly did give us a window into what goes on with the SE community … It allowed us access to, and to share information with, a whole breadth of people who were doing work in sectors that apply to us … It created a whole new network of people who can provide us with information and opportunities we didn’t have before.” Knowledge Mobilization and Dissemination -Impacts on team members and their practice

18. Two comments from students: “[It was] helpful, especially, to participate in negotiating how to work with academics as well as community practitioners… how they could achieve their own goals … but contribute to something larger” AND “I delivered papers at 2 international conferences …” Knowledge Mobilization and Dissemination -Impacts on team members and their practice

19. Questions to consider: • WHAT is a CURA? (or other partnered research) • WHO is to be included within the partnership? • HOW should the partnership work? • What is the PURPOSE OF PARTNERING in research, and what are the anticipated outcomes? • TO WHOM is the alliance accountable? (note implications for measures of ‘success’) Development of a Partnership

20. Four Qualities that SESRN emphasized: Partnerships appropriate to the objectives Engaged collaborative scholarship Participatory Action Research methodologies Reflection and self-evaluation CHUTZPAH (audacity!) To conclude

21. You can reach me, at leslie.brown@msvu.ca Peruse http://www.msvu.ca/socialeconomyatlantic Social Economy Space http://dc.msvu.ca:8080/xmlui/handle/10587/9 Thank you!

22. Why Collaborate in Research? Key Dimensions of Partnerships Qualities to Seek and to Monitor Postscript

23. Obtain reliable and valid data Leverage additional resources Build capacity within universities and in the community Connect people and connect institutions (social capital); facilitate action Wider dissemination and mobilization of knowledge Personally and professionally rewarding Why Collaborate? Examples of positive impacts