Using Data/Mapping for Community Based Participatory Action Research

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http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/8/9/b/event_36295451.jpeg As a program of Advancement Project’s Healthy City, the Community Research Lab partners with community-based organizations to develop, implement, and disseminate data/mapping projects, tools, and workshops that promote community knowledge and Community Based Participatory Action Research. Staff will discuss how the Lab supports CBO strategies by combining mapping technology and a Community Based Participatory Action Research framework that democratizes how research is conducted in communities.

Presenters:

Janice C. Burns: Community Research Lab Manager & Research Analyst – Healthy City
Janice conducts GIS mapping research and analysis and helps develop and coordinate community-focused research tools and projects such as Healthy City’s Community Research Lab and Community-Engaged Mapping. She has provided mapping research and technical assistance on many projects that have informed the policy, organizing, advocacy, and other strategies of community-based organizations throughout Los Angeles County. She applies her teaching skills as a healthycity.org website trainer and Community Research Lab workshop facilitator. With a background in the youth development field, she is interested in youth engagement in neighborhood planning and research. She holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara. She enjoys travelling and salsa dancing every place she travels.

Tahirah Farris, AICP: Project Manager
As a Project Manager for Healthy City, Tahirah is responsible for the Projects core work area. She manages the direct technical assistance process for engaging with project partners and is responsible for designing and implementing research and data analysis projects that include community engaged mapping and participatory action research to improve policies and resources in underserved neighborhoods. Some of her past research topics include public safety and the built environment, gentrification and displacement, as well as access to healthy food options and safe spaces for recreation and physical activity. Tahirah is also a member of Healthy City’s Community Research Lab, in which she facilitates workshops and that aim to build and sustain the research capacity of community based organizations. She hopes to bring a sustainable perspective to addressing the challenges social equity, economic vitality, and environmental justice for Los Angeles’ communities. Tahirah received a Master of Planning degree with a concentration in Social and Community Development as a Dean’s Merit Scholar from the University of Southern California. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).