1 IMPACT LUFKIN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY PROCESS Overview of Proposed Project The project will be based on the principles of collective impact. It is important to combine the collective impact strategy with the participatory action research design. The combined strategy builds on the principles of empowerment and sustainability. The most important principle of participatory action the community is the expert will be the departure point of the project. Participatory action allows the community to be part of the process during all stages. The community develops ownership of the change process and empowerment opportunities are created, resulting in sustainable change. The project will be based on inclusive decision-making and transparent feedback by including community members and key role-players who have a shared interest in the community. Participatory action for the purpose of this proposal implies that the SFA team will work with the community and a participatory action project team will be created as part of phase 1. The participatory action project team will guide all processes and continue its role in phase 2 and 3. After the appreciate inquiry, when a common agenda has been reached, key priority areas for change will be identified. Advocacy teams led by change advocates will implement the strategies to address the key priority areas. The advocacy teams will be led by a community member and students will be assigned to work with each team. After completion of the appreciative inquiry, key priority areas for impact will be identified. Key priority areas are based on what the community wants and needs. The project will be based on the following important participatory action principles: 1. The community members, residents and key informants are the experts of the community, and together with the SFA team (including students and faculty) they will form the advocacy teams; 2. Real sustainable change can only take place if the voices of the community are heard through appreciative inquiry, with respect to the quality of life as perceived by the community; 3. Change is based on strengths and existing resources and will be guided by the community including the participatory action team and advocacy teams (phase 2 and 3) 4. The appreciative inquiry process and community action and change are cyclic and empowering in nature; 5. The project will have a strong focus on SFA building and strengthening partnerships and relationships within the community and using an interdisciplinary approach to address community needs; 6. Communication about the project will include the community and dissemination of the information and best practice examples will be in collaboration with all role-players;
2 7. The participatory action project team must be committed to empowerment, by focusing on strengths and solutions and aligning needs with resources and assets; 8. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the participatory action process will be an integral part of each phase. Phase 1: Appreciative Inquiry (Initiate Action) The purpose of this phase is to collect the information necessary to plan and implement the collective impact process. During this phase the needs of the community will be identified and assessed and the initial creation and strengthening of participatory action teams will take place. It is important to listen to the voices of the community. The process should include demographic representation of the community. Key informants invited to participate should include all age groups - children and youth, young adults, elderly residents, volunteers and people who are interested in the community. Diversity and community representation are important criteria for inclusion - age, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation and socio-economic status as well as time lived in the community, emotional investment (including people who are not living in the community at this point but who are planning to move back). Role-players include persons who can influence the process in a positive way, residents who have lived in the community for years, people who can comment on quality of life - including residents, leaders, professionals and volunteers. Key informants from formal and informal networks will be invited including social clubs, parent associations, women s groups, girls and boys clubs and any other groups who are active in the community. Key informants from all formal networks will be invited to participate for example schools, hospitals, chambers of commerce, professionals, service providers and agencies. It is important to also include people who show initial resistance to the project. The needs will be identified by using participatory action principles to include the community members in decision-making about the project from the start. An anticipated outcome will be that the appreciate inquiry process will be empowering in itself. Participants should feel that they can trust the participatory action team, and that real change will take place that the process does not end at the appreciate inquiry level but community change will take place. The purpose of this project is to conduct an appreciative inquiry. The conclusions and recommendations of the appreciative inquiry will inform a collect impact strategy in the community. The objectives of the study are: 1. To identify community trends by using existing data specific to the history of the community, demographic information, socio-economic issues, crime rates, quality of life, mental health issues and community resources including community organizations, social clubs, churches, agencies and businesses. The existing data will include (but is not limited to census data, newspaper archives Rural Assistance Center (RAC) center reports and CDC reports).
3 2. To collect data from residents, community leaders, and participants interested in the community on their perceptions of resources, assets, ability to survive, community dynamics, strengths, services, challenges and limitations. 3. To collect data from inter-professional service providers and volunteers specific to (1) existing services and (2) the need of additional services. 4. To provide a report to the T. L. L Temple Foundation and Impact Lufkin team. This report will include specific conclusions and recommendations for the implementation of phase 2 and 3 of the collective impact strategy. Data will be collected using the following methods: 1) Interviews with community members and leaders, services providers and volunteers (estimated 100 interviews as a start snowball sample). 2) Focus groups conducted in the community and the Impact Lufkin office (also in the community) (estimated 50 focus groups, snowball sample). 3) Research cafés with community residents (20 groups, snowball sample). 4) Community survey developed after initial qualitative data has been collected. This survey will be administered by BSW and MSW students at the Impact Lufkin office (estimated 3000+ participants, snowball sample). 5) Survey to service providers the survey will be administered by MSW students during Angelina Connect meetings. The meetings take place once a month (estimated 50 surveys minimum, all agencies providing services will be part of the sample). Data collection protocols and questions will be used to collect the data. During interviews data will be preserved by means of field notes and audio-tapes. Interviews will be facilitated by one - two students at a time. During focus groups and research cafe s data will be preserved using field notes and audio-tapes. Two students will facilitate a focus group / research cafés. Phases: 1. Build on initial action and engagement in community Meet existing committees and initiate communication with all committees through face to face meetings; Identify and invite additional team members if needed; Create a participatory action project team based on existing committees; Initiate discussions with existing committees and organizations regarding a backbone organization/group and sustainability through roundtable discussions; Present a workshop in the community on collective impact - these workshops should be informal yet informative; Develop and implement evaluation instruments to collect baseline data about the participatory action and collective impact process
4 2. Identify and engage key role players in the creation/ strengthening of participatory action teams and backbone organization/ group Conduct ongoing meetings in the community to explain and promote the principles of collective impact and explain the process of appreciative inquiry; Create a media forum together with experts in the community to provide feedback to the community on an ongoing basis about the process of the appreciative inquiry. Examples include face to face presentations and social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Google Hangouts; Create a website for the project; Continue the process to identify and build a backbone organization/group. 3. Identify and conduct key tasks for appreciate inquiry A research plan will be developed by the participatory action project team to explain how the appreciative inquiry process will work. It will include methods, process, data collection and analysis methods and dissemination of the data. The SFA team will take the lead in development and providing information about the process. All elements of research will be developed as part of this step. Develop a research plan in collaboration with participatory action project team ensure research plan is based on community voices and include qualitative and quantitative measures. For example interviews, research café s, focus groups and surveys; Develop draft instruments and protocols to guide the appreciate enquiry process in collaboration with faculty experts; Submit an SFA Institutional Review Board (IRB) application to SFA IRB for review. SFA team will be responsible for completing the application, working with project team to collect documentation from community, submitting it to the various committees, presenting it to the IRB, receiving approval documentation and renewing the approval when necessary. 4. Identify, describe and analyze community issues through secondary data, survey, focus groups, and world café s and interviews. (include community validation/trustworthiness of inquiry) The appreciate inquiry will be multi-level and multisource and parameters will be discussed with the team. The most important questions to ask the community are - what do they want to change? What are the strengths? What do they understand as empowerment? What strategies do they suggest to enhance sustainability? What are
5 their dreams? What will make the community a better place to live in? What do they understand as quality of life? What does not work or has not worked in the past? An important aspect of the collection of information/data is that community members will be invited to help collect the data. Refine the instruments and protocols to collect data. Instruments will translated into Spanish to include all community members; Conduct workshops in the community to train all volunteers and students in the data collection process (community members will be included to conduct interviews, administer surveys and collect data in general); Provide ongoing support to data collection team for example to answer questions about data collection problems, preservation of data and confidentiality; Initiate data collection through a community event invite at least 200 community residents, leaders and volunteers to engage in research café s and focus groups; Collection of data in the community. Multi-level data collection will include inquiry at unusual places including laundromats, beauty shops, library, churches, tax offices, labor pool and school meetings. (Identify existing efforts in order to avoid that unnecessary repetition takes place); Analysis of the data through analysis programs for example SPSS and NVivo. The analysis will provide descriptive statistics as well as themes. It will include content and thematic analysis based on the narratives; Formulation of results, conclusions and recommendations; Identify priority focus areas based on data and conclusions; Validation of results to enhance trustworthiness of the appreciate inquiry workshops and roundtable discussion in the community with key informants to validate the results and common themes. If additional data is needed steps in the process will be repeated. 5. Provide a report with specific recommendations to community and T.L.L Temple Foundation Write a draft report on the findings including recommendations for Phase 2 preparation for impact; Share report with participatory action project team; Invite feedback through poster presentations, roundtable discussions, and social media; Refine specific priority focus areas and important issues to be changed and strengthened in the community - present this to the community/role-players/key
6 stakeholders. These issues will be the basis of the collective impact strategic plan and map. 6. Evaluate phase 1 to determine effectiveness of process. Administer evaluation instruments; Write a report on process; Provide a report to participatory action team; Use information to develop best practice model. Outcome: Key priority areas identified based on evidence as a result of the appreciative inquiry.