Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: our voice means something
- 1 “Why aren’t we heard with our voices?” APLE Collective’s lived experience of poverty
- 2 APLE Collective and pandemic activism
- 3 Thriving women
- 4 ATD Fourth World: overcoming epistemic injustice globally
- 5 Finding a place in a disconnected world: Expert Citizens and Keep Talking
- 6 Conclusion: power, voice and change
- Notes
- References
5 - Finding a place in a disconnected world: Expert Citizens and Keep Talking
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 April 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: our voice means something
- 1 “Why aren’t we heard with our voices?” APLE Collective’s lived experience of poverty
- 2 APLE Collective and pandemic activism
- 3 Thriving women
- 4 ATD Fourth World: overcoming epistemic injustice globally
- 5 Finding a place in a disconnected world: Expert Citizens and Keep Talking
- 6 Conclusion: power, voice and change
- Notes
- References
Summary
Freedom regained
What will it look like?
how will we fare?
what has been learnt?
how do we care?
can we make a difference,
live our life our best,
be kinder, more equal,
‘social respect’, come to rest,
every, each one of us,
touched by virus wars,
need to encourage,
mingle better, try more.
Creativity flourished,
for some, in quarantine,
ideas shared, photos taken,
quite arty the scene;
Given time people relaxed
they felt more at ease,
to all, that got through this,
and out t’other side,
let’s use the positive
that’s worked,
we tested, we tried,
to continue to reach out,
to those without voice,
isolated, marginalised
feel like they got no choice,
bring us all together
in a forum of ideas,
share some food,
stories swapped,
dissipate all fears.
(© Jennifer Spice 2020)
Research involving people with lived experience of multiple disadvantages is becoming increasingly highlighted as not only necessary to understand social inequalities and issues arising from them, but also an effective way of creating change, raising awareness and increasing empathy (Honey et al, 2020). In March 2020, when the UK went into its first national lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Expert Citizens were three months into a coproduced research programme with Staffordshire University, exploring how community organisations and university partners can work effectively together to develop sustainable structures for participatory, place-based research. The immediate and total move from face-to-face, participatory meetings to remote engagement with the project was a challenge for staff and community researchers alike. However, through flexibility, creativity and compassion, Expert Citizens were able to build strong relationships with their fellow community researchers and express their voices in ways that had a lasting impact on the organisations and people involved. This chapter offers a critical reflection on the experience of Expert Citizens in the project, Keep Talking, reflecting on the importance of participatory approaches and creative activities in breaking down barriers and developing voice. The learning from how the organisations worked together to find a socially distanced and ethical response to supporting community researchers, and the approaches used to include a considerable proportion of digitally excluded participants, are discussed.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Socially Distanced ActivismVoices of Lived Experience of Poverty During COVID-19, pp. 93 - 112Publisher: Bristol University PressFirst published in: 2023