Beyond the Toolkit

Our Study

Community-Engagement in COVID-19: Exploring online and remote pedagogies amongst practitioners

Early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us struggled with how to build, maintain or sustain pre-existing relationships, partnerships or community-engaged projects in ethical ways. Since we were not able to gather in-person, many community-engaged workshops, projects, and meetings  moved online, or to phone or messaging apps. Other projects adapted to mail or drop-off delivery.

As practitioners, we were encountering unique ethical and pedagogical challenges in adapting our work online, or to remote settings. There were also limited resources to guide this process.  While secondary or post-secondary institutions developed online learning resources, these settings are guided by different goals, aims and institutional contexts. Similarly, research ethics boards are not attuned to the unique issues of participatory research, where there is a strong emphasis on the process of doing work together, in a good way.

At the same time, we were impressed by the resourcefulness of many community-engaged practitioners who were working alongside communities to develop new ways of maintaining connections during a challenging time, marked by multiple pandemics and heightened inequities. 

We reached out to our networks. We invited 31 community artists, community facilitators, participatory researchers and participatory visual methods practitioners across Canada into dialogue. Together, over the fall and early winter of 2021, we hosted a series of focus groups. We discussed the ethical commitments  guiding our work, the opportunities and tensions of adapting participatory, community-based approaches online, and the unique ethical issues or "lived tensions" which arise. We also hosted public events to bring students,  community-engaged practitioners, and faculty into dialogue so we could extend the conversation.

This website shares what we learned, and provides some useful resources for community-engaged practitioners, initiatives or organizations who are learning how to adapt participatory initiatives, programs, or workshops online.

The Team

Many individuals contributed their time, insight, and energy to supporting this project.


Sarah Switzer, Lead Researcher, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Andrea Vela Alarcón, Lead Illustrator and Graduate Assistant, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

​Naima Raza, Graduate Assistant, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, Co-lead Researcher, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Collaborators:

  • Angie Aranda, Neighbourhood Arts Network

  • Eva Hellreich, Neighbourhood Arts Network

  • Casey Burkholder, Education, University of New Brunswick

  • Heather Hermant, Centre for Community Partnerships, University of Toronto

  • Erin Howley, Independent Community-Engaged Practitioner

  • Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco, Dalla School of Public Health, University of Toronto

  • June Larkin, Women and Gender Studies, University of Toronto

Partners:

  • Youth Research Lab, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

  • Neighbourhood Arts Network

  • Centre for Community Partnerships, University of Toronto

  • Gendering Adolescent AIDS Prevention, New College, University of Toronto

Community-Engaged Practitioners:

Thank you to the many community-engaged practitioners who shared their time and insight in various ways. In our study, participants told us how they wanted to be credited for their involvement in the study. Some provided pseudonyms. The following individuals provided support with with event organization, resource development, or shared valuable insights that led to the creation of this resource:

Kate Klein, Craig Boucher, Dee, Jessica Bleuer, Z., Nadia O’Brien, Kellum Jaymes, Carol Strike, Sam Tecle 

Shira Taylor, Lori Chambers, Monica Anne Batac, Adam Barrett., C. Lurch, karen darricades, G., Naomi Tessler 

Mindy Stricke, Vibhuti Kacholia, Victoria Mata, Khari McClelland, Ananya Tina Banerjee, Casey Burkholder 

Jen Thompson, Katie MacEntee, Lori Kufner, Y., Francisco Ibañez-Carrasco, and FIFIO.

Website support:

Hisayo Horie

Funding for this study provided by:

Social Sciences and Humanities and Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship (Dr. Sarah Switzer). Graduate Assistant support provided through Social Sciences and Humanities and Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant, as well as Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Thank you to New College Initiatives Fund and the Centre for Community Partnerships for sponsoring events to bring students, community-engaged practitioners and faculty into dialogue.