Participatory Action Research

Our approach

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We are leading experts in Participatory Action Research (PAR), working alongside community researchers to co-create knowledge that is grounded, relevant, and actionable. We collaborate with communities defined by geography, identity, or lived experience - such as patients, gallery visitors, or people who use public services - ensuring their voices shape every stage of the research process.

Our comprehensive training programme equips community researchers to contribute to question design, fieldwork, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. This approach empowers participants, builds skills, and leaves a lasting legacy of expertise in communities and organisations.

PAR taps into local knowledge, engages people who might not take part in traditional research, and fosters problem-solving together. It delivers realistic, actionable insights, strengthens connections between organisations and the people they serve, and creates new skills, jobs, and opportunities.

We’ve trained hundreds of community researchers and worked with a wide range of partners, including local authority planning departments, NHS and public health bodies, universities, galleries and museums, heritage organisations, and local and national charities. Across all projects, we prioritise ethical, context-sensitive methods and outputs designed to be clear, engaging, and impactful - whether reports, summary decks, posters, or creative formats like illustrations, songs, or performances.

Participatory Action Research is more than a method - it’s a way of working that empowers people, strengthens communities, and produces knowledge that truly makes a difference.

PAR process

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With years of experience leading Participatory Action Research projects, we make the process collaborative and rewarding for everyone involved. We will guide you through the different stages, including defining key topics and your organisational needs; recruiting and training community researchers; planning and undertaking fieldwork; analysing the data together; and reporting and sharing findings. Throughout the project, we’ll keep you informed, involved, and confident that everything stays on track.

Partner

Understand your context, priorities, and key topics
Clarify project focus and desired outcomes
Recruitment of community researchers.*
Training

Guide community researchers through a structured training programme
Cover theory and ethics of Participatory Action Research.
Provide practical training in qualitative, participatory, creative, survey, and citizen science methods.
Fieldwork

Support community researchers in designing and conducting fieldwork.
Review emerging findings mid-way to identify gaps.
Plan and carry out a second phase of fieldwork based on insights.
Analysis and reporting

Conduct a workshop with the team to analyse data and define findings.
Produce a detailed internal report and an externally accessible slide deck.
Present findings, gather feedback, and support development of an action plan.
Sharing and celebrating

Co-create engaging outputs (posters, films, photos, performances) to share findings.
Support a celebration event to highlight achievements and continue conversations.
Amplify the research and action plan to reach wider audiences.
Review

Reflect on the process and outcomes.
Identify areas for further investigation.
Plan future cycles to continue the community researchers’ work.