Pathways to Participation International Retreat: a retreat for crtical reflection on PRA

The Pathways to Participation International Retreat was convened in April 2000, as part of the Pathways to Participation Project. The Project aims to support critical reflection on PRA and participation, in order to improve the quality and impact of participatory work. The retreat brought together a diversity of PRA practitioners, and provided a space for people to critically reflect on their own experiences. This document records the events of the retreat, reflecting the diversity of views that emerged, while focussing on some key themes. Among these were the issues of scaling-up participatory approaches, PRA methodology within a broader context of participation in development, the importance of context, and how personal ethics and values affect behavior and attitudes. Some of the discussions highlighted in the document center on the links between participatory methodologies, politics and policy advocacy; organisational change; empowerment, local action and social movements; issues relevant to Latin America; and the link between politics and PRA. (See also record no. 4029)