[Cbrnet] Welcome and introduce yourselves

[Randy Stoecker]

Hello CBRNet,

As we now have 44 subscribers, it seems appropriate for us to all 
introduce ourselves.  I welcome everyone to send a message about 
yourselves. 

I got into the practice of CBR almost 20 years ago now, when I was 
called on the carpet by a community activist that I wanted to interview 
for a course paper in graduate school.  He taught me just how 
exploitative traditional social research could be.  Ever since, I have 
been trying to find ways to do research that not only involved community 
organizations and residents but also supported their work. And I have 
been trying to write about the practice.

I had the extra good fortune a couple of years ago to work with the 
Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation on a project developing CBR 
programs on individual campuses, and then CBR networks in five urban 
areas and Appalachia.  Along with a bunch of publications and a book by 
Kerry Strand, Sam Marullo, Nick Cutforth, Pat Donohue and myself, I have 
had the honor of being able to speak at a number of events and create 
other written resources you can find at:

http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/cbrfaq.htm
http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/cbrqs.htm
http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/cbrreportb.htm
http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/cbrtensions.htm
http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/cbrutep2.htm

I just finished a fascinating project in Melbourne Australia, working 
with neighbourhood organizations to assess their information technology 
needs with folks at Monash University.  The report from that project is 
now making its way through high-level government circles and has a 
chance of making a real impact.  I am currently doing a project in 
Toledo working with nonprofit organizations to assess their research and 
data needs.  We are organizing a planning event based on that research 
to develop outlines for trainings and database projects and have 32 
people signed up so far.  Neither of these projects stand up to the 
strictest definitions of CBR, since they were initiated by academics, 
and we have had to work double-time to build community organization 
participation and shift control away from the academics.  I would be 
interested in hearing about others' experiences in trying to make that 
shift.

Like some of you, I feel pretty lonely on my campus, which doesn't even 
have an institutionalized service learning program, let alone provide 
any support for community-based research.  And the ending of the Bonner 
project has left me with less travel than I used to have.  Electronic 
forums are not as good as face to face, but they are currently my 
lifeline to the world outside of Toledo. So I look forward to our 
discussions.

Randy

-- 
Randy Stoecker
Professor of Sociology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Toledo
Toledo, OH  43606
USA
 
phone: 419-530-4975
fax: 419-530-8406

e-mail: randy.stoecker at utoledo.edu