| GACER |
| Rationale: |
The Global Alliance on Community- Engaged Research was created on May 5, 2008 by representatives of university, networks and civil society organizations at the 2008 Community University Expo Conference in Victoria, BC, Canada. The international Development Resource Centre funded this first global networking meeting hosted by the University of Victoria (UVic) and attended by representatives of 14 countries around the world. Representatives of these 14 countries throughout the world developed a Declaration of The Global Alliance (see below), which was then endorsed by many of the 600 delegates at the conference. The meeting was an opportunity to examine how the strengths of various existing networks could be best advanced for the common global purpose of using knowledge and community-university partnership strategies for democratic social and environmental change and justice, particularly among the most vulnerable people and places of the world. An added purpose was to see how the voice of majority world researchers and activists can be prominent in the emerging global networks. All of this is with the aim of strengthening the capacity of grass roots organizations to make a difference in the pressing and complex issues of poverty, violence, climate change, injustice, and health throughout the world. |
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The Declaration is now a focus for global organizing to support and strengthen Community-Engaged Research as a fundamental means of mobilizing and creating knowledge to contribute to human betterment, by: |
| •sharing effective practices in strengthening engagement of communities |
| •supporting communities and groups to create healthier societies and environment |
| •developing new generations of community engaged scholars and community based researchers |
| •measuring collectively the impact of our work in our community and world |
| •advocating for enhanced policy and resource support |
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The main objective of the Alliance is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information across continents and countries to enable interaction and collaboration to further the application and impact of community-based research for a sustainable just future for the people of the world. Organizations involved in community-based research from around the world are invited to participate in an open and democratic Alliance that adds value to existing networking and collaborative endeavours. |
| Dr. Rajesh Tandon, President PRIA, is one of the executive members of the Global Alliance Steering Committee. PRIA is also the nodal organization for the South East Asia of the Alliance. |
| For more details please visit: www.communityresearch.ca |
| To view the Declaration in Spanish and French please visit http://communityresearchcanada.ca/?action=alliance |
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| DECLARATION OF THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH |
| May 2008, Victoria, Canada |
| Release of a normative statement on community-engaged research: |
| As a result of the global networking meeting at CUExpo on May 5th, 2008, the following Global Alliance Document was developed and announced at the closing ceremonies on May 7th. Participants present were asked to symbolically sign the alliance as an indication of their support and belief in the document. |
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| Global Alliance on Community-Engaged Research |
We acknowledge the significant progress that humanity has made since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, and all other subsequent enactments. This Declaration sets forth the universality of certain fundamental human rights; The rights to education, freedom of association and speech, and the right to participate in the life of the community are inherent to the rights of life with dignity. |
We declare, therefore, that the right to learn, the right to know, the right to produce knowledge, and the right to access knowledge are inalienable rights for all. |
We acknowledge the significance of science, research and knowledge being produced in a community-engaged manner, such that the fruits of such knowledge are available, usable and beneficial to those communities and their civil society organizations and movements. We are particularly mindful of families and communities that are excluded or marginalized in our societies. |
We underscore the vast treasures of indigenous knowledge in all societies, and the associated processes of their transmission orally across generations. We recognize that knowledge has been stored in books, digitally and through cultures of dance, music, arts and dialogues. |
We respect the knowledge-creation work of scientists, educators, activists, intellectuals, students, civil society organizations, and mother-tongue scholars. |
| We believe that now is the time to mobilize ourselves globally. Together, we are all part of building a global alliance. |
| Our purpose is to add value to actions across disciplines and community aspirations worldwide by: |
| •sharing effective practices in strengthening engagement of communities |
| •creating and mobilizing knowledge for human betterment |
| •supporting communities and groups to create healthier societies and environment |
| •developing new generations of community engaged scholars and community based researchers |
| •measuring collectively the impact of our work in our community and world |
| •advocating for enhanced policy and resource support |
We value inclusion, integrity, commitment and freedom, and recognize that all peoples in the world are enjoined in the creation of knowledge. |
| We call you to action – Share the dream! |
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