What is the PAR Institute?
PAR Institute (Participatory Action Research) is supported directly by the Surdna Foundation’s Thriving Cultures initiative. By utilizing popular education, cultural organizing, and other social change tools, the PAR Institute seeks to support BIPOC artists and other culture workers in local communities. Regranting partners will enable Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income artists to implement projects and develop narratives that imagine and test more-equitable systems across a variety of sectors, including: agriculture and food, economic development, education, health, housing, immigration, public safety, transportation, and workforce development.
LEARN ABOUT THE PAR INSTITUTE
A HIGHLANDER PROJECT
Participatory Action Research (PAR) challenges the belief that only academics or trained professionals can produce accurate information, and instead recognizes information as POWER and puts that power in the hands of people seeking to overcome problems in their daily lives. PAR is a collective process of investigation, empowerment, and action. The people most affected by the problems, sometimes with the help of “experts”, investigate and analyze the issues, and ultimately act together to bring about meaningful, long-term solutions.
GET A TASTE OF PAR INSTITUTE PRESENTER
Some of Our Presenters
Carlton Turner, Sipp Culture
from the “Rural People, Rural Power” module
Meredith Martin-Moats, PAR Team
from the “Rural People, Rural Power” module
Amaha Selassie, Gem City Market
from “Solidarity, Economy and the People’s Money” module
Márquez Rhyne, Inventive Interventions
from the “Organize, Organize, Organize” module
A Sampling of Principles & Materials
