I founded Inspiring Ethics, a group of researchers who want to reshape ethical relations in community-based research and change the bioethical model of university ethics. We run a regular participatory research ethics surgery for the National Research Support Service. We have mapped out the diverse ethical process issues faced in participatory research, invited experts in the field of ethics to speak at our events, and organise arts-based workshops bringing together researchers, community members, and lived experience experts; and have contributed to an exhibition on Experts by Experience. The picture opposite shows visual notes, created by artist Tamara-Jade, describing our first arts-based workshop.
Ethnography and Participatory Action Research
I conducted an ethnography of three participatory action research projects with Iranian and Afghan community groups. An academic paper based on my learnings is here. Key recommendations included: offering participants a choice of approach, challenging internal organisation hierarchies, and incorporating participant ethical values. You can also access our co-produced report. Opposite is a video interview with one of our peer researchers, Milad. Milad was part of the participatory action research team at the Iranian Association. In this video Milad reflects on his experiences being part of the team.
Designing Community-Based Ethic Review
I led a research project for the Lambeth Community Research Network to design a Community-Based Ethics Review (CBER) process that supports their work. It’s coordinated by the High Trees youth group. The network is committed to ethical, high-quality community-based research that reflects the needs and priorities of Lambeth’s diverse communities. I conduct a focused literature review, designed and facilitated two community workshops, and created a flow-chart, checklist, and set of ethical values. The resulting CBER model directly addresses historic inequities in research by offering a practical, values-driven alternative to conventional ethics procedures. I’ve conducted similar work for the Greek refugee charity, Khora.
