Co-Create Sustainable Impact With Participatory Action Research
There’s this famous saying: “Give somebody a fish and he has food for one day. Teach him how to fish and he will have food for his entire life.” But what if that somebody does not like fish, or fishing? Or what if there’s no fish around? What if our fishing style is not working abroad? Or what if it is not culturally appropriate to eat fish?
7Senses’ aim is to empower people worldwide to tackle complex issues together and co-create the world they want to live in. 7Senses’ work -conducting Participatory Action Research worldwide- is focused on facilitating local people and involved stakeholders in co-discovering and developing sustainable solutions to tackle complex issues, using local talent, manpower, materials and abundance. As such, entire communities work together on co-designed, cost-efficient solutions and innovations which truly fit their context and needs!
Through Participatory Action Research, 7Senses accelerates the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Each PAR project indicates to which SDG(s) it contributes.
The 7Senses concept leads to:
- Sustainable, positive change in local communities
- Less dependency of local communities on western aid or government intervention and more cooperation based on equality
- Concrete solutions that fit the local socio-cultural context and needs
- Enhancing local innovation force, sense of ownership, cooperation and motivation
- Development that continues after the facilitators have left the field
Participatory Action Research is a form of research that links science and practice. It allows a community of organizational and non-organizational stakeholders to investigate their own situation, reflect on its results and co-create the best fitting interventions to tackle complex problems and achieve sustainable impact.
You can also realize sustainable impact with 7Senses! Follow the 7Senses independent trainings, join the 7Senses Academy or join the 7Senses Challenge!
Want to know more? Read the book ‘Participatory Action Research – Working together for a better world‘, written by Madelon Eelderink, founder of 7Senses (in Dutch).
What is Participatory Action Research?
Participatory Action Research is an approach that bridges science and practice. It combines the best of both in order to boost the transit to a more sustainable world. Our PAR processes empower local communities to tackle the world’s most complex issues with the crowd, leading to unexpected, yet extraordinary effective results.
7Senses Action Research Academy
We train our action researchers in the 7Senses Action Research Academy. After graduation, alumni perform Participatory Action Research in their own jobs, become independent action researcher for 7Senses or develop 7Senses Challenge programs, in the Netherlands or beyond.
Hire us
For training in- or conducting Participatory Action Research
Are you facing a complex issue in your community, involving multiple stakeholders? Hire us for Participatory Action Research! Or do you prefer to become an Participatory Action Researcher yourself? Join one of our trainings or book us for an in-company training!
Projects
What others say about 7Senses
There are only few projects in which stakeholders are involved so prominently in all aspects of the project. And that works so fantastically!”
7Senses contributes to creating paradise on earth!”
The combination of professional and personal development through intensive guidance ánd doing something good for someone else through action research makes the Challenge an unforgettable experience for me.”
Such a simple project with such an enormous impact!”
7Senses is a great initiative and I fully support their ambitions!”
