Community participation and cultural preservation: Various perceptions across refugee communities and survice providers
Background and Purpose: Community participatory approach is widely applied in multiple disciplines as an effective strategy for community capacity building and efficient service delivery. However, how minority groups, like communities of refugee backgrounds, perceive and practice it in a host co...
Đã lưu trong:
| Tác giả chính: | |
|---|---|
| Định dạng: | Conference paper not in proceedings |
| Ngôn ngữ: | English |
| Được phát hành: |
2023
|
| Truy cập trực tuyến: | https://scholar.dlu.edu.vn/handle/123456789/2617 |
| Các nhãn: |
Thêm thẻ
Không có thẻ, Là người đầu tiên thẻ bản ghi này!
|
| Thư viện lưu trữ: | Thư viện Trường Đại học Đà Lạt |
|---|
| Tóm tắt: | Background and Purpose:
Community participatory approach is widely applied in multiple disciplines as an effective strategy for community capacity building and efficient service delivery. However, how minority groups, like communities of refugee backgrounds, perceive and practice it in a host country is discussed in a small number of studies. The purpose of this paper, thus, is to identify how communities of refugee backgrounds participate in their ethnic communities and agency programs, and how those resettled communities and agencies define community participation.
Methods:
This study engaged five communities of refugee backgrounds and five agencies serving refugee population. Qualitative research and ethnographic approach were employed in this study. Particularly, nine in-depth interviews with five refugee service providers, eight focus groups with people of various refugee backgrounds, fourteen meetings with communities and agencies and forty-five observations were carried out.
Results:
Findings reveal that most agencies describe community participation as attendance, while resettled communities perceive community participation as socializing, cultural celebration, and ethnic connections and support. The results also show that communities and agencies employed different models of community participation such as invited participation, partnership model, and community-driven model. Indeed, resettled communities participate deeply in the processes of planning and with decision making about their community-led programs. Refugee community participation demonstrates community strengths and resilience in responding to the limit of mainstream service delivery. In contrast, agencies often limit the engagement of communities in the processes of program development and planning.
Conclusions and Implications:
This study has provided a more in-depth insight into the knowledge of community participation under different perspectives of communities with various refugee backgrounds and service providers. The conclusion drawing from this study affirms the crucial role of cultural celebrations and ethnic connections in attracting community participation and enhancing community resilience. Gatherings for enjoying dancing, music, chatting, laughing, eating, and sharing are examples of those connections. Current knowledge in practice, education, and research rarely recognizes or perceives them as essential needs for resettled communities. This paper suggests that community participation with communities of refugee background should be perceived and valued in respect of communities’ perceptions shaped by their cultures, experiences, and ethnic backgrounds. Moreover, the findings from this study adds to the urgency of acknowledging and respecting culture, experiences, and worldviews of communities with refugee backgrounds. It raises a definite need too for the shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach when forming programs and policies for resettled communities. |
|---|