Resources

This study in Staveley, an area with high unemployment, aimed to: i) identify & enable people to address the personal risk factors for cardio-vascular diseases ii) enable unemployed workers to discuss health difficulties specific to unemployment iii) promote a greater understanding of the specific health needs of unemployed people Unemployed people and 200 children were interviewed, then key people in the professions of education, health, social services, police, clergy and housing. Video, photos and mapping were used and people "had an opportunity to test their own health by filling in a health profile questionnaire". The various groups' different perceptions of the problems and suggested solutions are analysed. There is a need for "an informed, integrated, inter-agency approach with the involvement of unemployed people in order to respond effectively to the problems of unemployment".

A training programme for GTZ staff ("to let them have a taste for real life application of PRA techniques") focused on an area of the Austrian Alps undergoing rapid change due to tourism and infrastructure development. The "learning insights" from doing this exercise in the North are summarized as twelve points suggesting how PRA can help in 'Northern' countries and how PRA training in the North for aid personnel can be more effective than if held in 'Northern' countries. Advantages cited include : "the transfer of a number of critical insights from the First to the Third World and vice versa" and greater involvement and awareness of the ethical issues around research when using one's own language and cultural context.

A five day workshop for trainers of PRA was held in the Emmental valley, Switzerland. Participatory mapping and transects were carried out with local residents, as well as theoretical sessions using new training methods, such as a "mood metre" to provide constant feedback. The PRA Problem Solving Exercise questions around fieldwork protocol ("What would you do if..?") are attached as an appendix.

This article begins by posing the question "How might the educational potential of the city be enhanced for children today?" The author suggests that one way to learn from the city is to travel about within it. Using research done in Boston into children's environmental use, knowledge and experience, the author argues that pilot studies are needed to test strategies to improve children's knowledge and use of their cities. Emphasis is placed on increasing children's ability to use maps in city travel and exploration. Tips are offered for making effective maps for children, including taking into account preferences for pictorial rather than verbal information. The research method is not specifically described, but references are made to map exercises, and interviews conducted with children and parents.

Describes the process of using PRA to plan forestry activities in four rural communities in the Highlands of Scotland. The methods enabled people to put forward their ideas on the future of forestry in the areas, as well as creating wider local involvement and helping to spur people on to further action. The paper concludes by reflecting on some of the constraints and opportunities for using PRA in Scotland.

This paper argues Landcare is showing a way forward to sustainable agriculture by developing a farming community which can respond to changing economic, environmental and technological conditions and to societies changing priorities. Moreover, Landcare is beginning to establish a system of monitoring and guiding the community's performance.

A method known as 'Global Voices', which uses participatory video, was used to bring the voices of the real experts on poverty - the poor themselves - to Oxfam UK and Ireland's strategic review. This account examines the Devonport (in Plymouth, UK) experience, the training processes, the ways in which they were used by the local partners in Devonport, and the analysis that resulted. It is written through the voices of three team members.