Using a Community Based Participatory Research Approach to Address Gender Based Violence

In community-based participatory research (CBPR), researchers and community members collaborate throughout all research phases, from design to dissemination. At its best, CBPR provides opportunities for meaningful learning, growth, and capacity-building for all partners. We will illustrate some benefits and challenges of CBPR using examples from a multilingual community-led research project. In this project, a diverse group of anti-domestic violence advocates designed and executed research in their own, historically marginalized communities. This interactive session aims to increase attendees’ knowledge of participatory methodologies by sharing tools and lessons learned from this project, as well as theoretical and practical considerations discussed in the recently-published CBPR Toolkit for Domestic Violence Researchers (co-authored by one of the presenters). The session includes the following learning objectives: 1) addressing communities’ expectations and prior history with external researchers, using tools like Project Agreements; 2) engaging in self-reflection and identifying power dynamics; 3) recognizing community partners’ knowledge and skills, and scaffolding research capacity-building on these strengths; and 4) incorporating language justice and trauma-informed approaches. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of practitioners, researchers, and community members to partner in equitable ways that expand the field’s knowledge, and to encourage collaborations rooted in research justice and community-led transformations.