IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING WORD LIMIT REQUIREMENTS:
Please note that each and every assignment has its own word limit.
Participatory learning and action (PLA) tools are used to engage communities in a process of shared decision making around their strengths and assets. Action steps are often identified by the group to make social, economic, or environmental changes in their community. Select and practice one of the following participatory learning and action tools:
- Community asset map
- Holistic worldview analysis
- Appreciative inquiry interview
- Problem tree analysis (also called diagramming)
- Photovoice
Guides on how to facilitate the tools are described in the community
engagement and PLA resources in the Topic Materials. Identify an individual or
group of individuals with whom you are currently working as part of your job,
service, volunteerism, or family. Review the selected tool and become familiar
with the process and purpose of the tool prior to facilitating it with your
selected individual or group.
In a 1,000-1,250-word essay, discuss the following:
- What tool did you select and why did you select it instead of the other options?
- What cultural insight did you learn based on the individual or group you selected? Include a brief description of the individual or group you engaged for this
assignment. - What challenges did you identify in facilitating the tool?
- Discuss how the participants responded to the tool regarding their participation and shared decision making. Consider how PLA tools are focused on building the
capacity of people versus projects or programs. - A Health in All Policies approach, which include economic and environmental
factors, is important in addressing the interconnectedness of health factors to
support holistic transformation. Discuss how this community engagement approach through such a tool is useful for assessing a Health in All Policies approach. In addition, consider how this approach is effective in reducing health
disparities by addressing economic and environmental issues through community
mobilization and assets. Review the website and introductory report on “Health
in All Policies,” by the American Public Health Association (APHA), and “What
You Need to Know About Health in All Policies,” by the World Health
Organization (WHO), located in the Topic Materials for additional insight.
Read Chapter 5 in For the Love of God: Principles and Practice of Compassion in Missions.
URL:
Read “Connecting Communities and Complexity: A Case Study in Creating the Conditions for Transformational Change,” by Durie and Wyatt, from Critical Public Health (2013).
URL:
Read “Cultural Humility: Measuring Openness to Culturally Diverse Clients,” by Hook, Davis, Owen, Worthington, and Utsey, from Journal of Counseling Psychology (2013).
URL:
Read “Reflections on Cultural Humility,” by Waters and Asbill, from American Psychological Association CYF News (2013).
URL:
Read “Tyranny/Transformation: Power and Paradox in Participatory Development,” by Christens and Speer, from Forum: Qualitative Social Research (2006).
URL:
Read “A Basic Guide to ABCD Community Organizing,” by McKnight, located on the DePaul University website.
URL:
Read “Wholistic Worldview Analysis: Understanding Community Realities,” by Jayakaran (2007), located on the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) website.
URL:
Read “Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training Manual,” from the Peace Corps Information Collection and Exchange, Publication No. M0053(2007), located on the Peace Corps website.
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Read “Empowering Communities: Participation Techniques for Community-Based Programme Development: Volume 2: Participant’s Handbook,” by De Negri, Thomas, Ilinigumugabo, Muvandi, and Lewis(1998), located on the Participatory Methods website.
URL:
Read “Generic Processes of Appreciative Inquiry,” located on The Center for Appreciative Inquiry website.
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Watch “Appreciative Inquiry,” by Townsin (2013), located on the YouTube website.
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Read “Ten Seed Technique,” by Jayakaran, located on the Dr. Ravi Jayakaran website.
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Read “Toolkit,” from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute, located on the DePaul University website.
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Read “Open Questions,” by Goetzman, located on the Global Learning Partners, Inc. website.
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Read “Section 20: Implementing Photovoice in Your Community,” in Chapter 3 of the Community Tool Box website.
URL:
Read the Health in All Policies page of the American Public Health Association website, and download and read the PDF, “An Introduction to Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments.”
URL:
Read “What You Need to Know About Health in All Policies,” located on the World Health Organization (WHO) website.
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Explore the Best Practices in Global Health Missions website.
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Explore the Global CHE Network website.
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Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
Participatory learning and action (PLA) tools are crucial for community engagement and decision-making around social, economic, and environmental changes. As a medical professor responsible for creating college assignments and answering medical college students’ questions, I have selected one of the following PLA tools to discuss in this answer:
Community asset map, holistic worldview analysis, appreciative inquiry interview, problem tree analysis, and photovoice.
Answer:
For this answer, I have selected the appreciative inquiry interview tool. I chose this tool because it is best suited for building positive relationships with individuals or groups, and it focuses on their strengths and what is working well, rather than on the problems. It also encourages participants to think creatively and proactively towards making positive changes in their community, making it a great option for community development.
The cultural insight I gained while using this tool was the vast difference in worldviews and beliefs among individuals and groups. I engaged with a group of healthcare workers from a rural area in Africa. While facilitating this tool with them, I discovered that they have a strong belief in traditional medicine and spiritual healing practices. This helped me better understand their perspective on healthcare, and it enabled me to design interventions that would integrate traditional medicine and spiritual healing practices, while applying the knowledge gained from scientific medicine.
One challenge I identified was language barriers, as some of the participants spoke a different language than I did. However, I was able to overcome this challenge by working with a translator to ensure that everyone understood the questions and the intent of the tool correctly.
The participants responded positively to the tool, as it allowed them to share their stories and experiences positively. They felt empowered and motivated to make positive changes in their community. It was evident that PLA tools are focused on building the capacity of people instead of projects or programs. Using the Appreciative Inquiry interview tool helped the healthcare workers see that they have strengths and skills they could leverage to improve healthcare delivery in their community.
Finally, a Health in All Policies approach is useful in assessing and reducing health disparities by addressing economic and environmental factors through community mobilization and assets. The appreciative inquiry interview tool could provide a useful platform for community engagement towards a Health in All Policies approach. It encourages community members to share their insights and experiences about their health and well-being, which could inform policymakers’ decision-making processes.
In conclusion, the appreciative inquiry interview tool is a powerful participatory learning and action tool that could enable healthcare communities to leverage their strengths and skills towards positive changes in their healthcare delivery.
