Gregory Maney, PhD
Co-Director, Center for Civic Engagement
Professor of Sociology and Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Teaching Professor
for the Study of Nonviolent Social Change, Hofstra University
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. identified six steps toward nonviolent social change. The first step is gathering information. Community-based research (CBR) is generally regarded as a collaborative project that involves community members in designing, conducting, analyzing, and/or using research to contribute to community empowerment. Rather than conducting research on a community, faculty and students are doing research with community members.
There are mutual benefits to forming collaborative research partnerships. The ability of community-based organizations (CBOs) to achieve their goals often depends upon conducting rigorous research. At the same time, public and private funders of academic research are increasingly requiring faculty to partner with CBOs in order to enhance the impact of their awards. The collaborative research process involves iterative cycles of action and reflection. The pooling of academic and community knowledge and skills along with knowledge revision and additional skills results in many benefits beyond what conventional academic research typically provides. These benefits include socially relevant and accessible research, better informed interpretations of data based upon multiple perspectives, the development of theories with predictive power, and the wider distribution of findings to multiple publics.
The Center for Civic Engagement calls upon all faculty, students, and community-based organizations interested in doing collaborative research to contact us to discuss resources and opportunities available. We particularly encourage research projects that hold the potential to deepen democracy, promote social justice and human rights, and ensure sustainability in the natural environment and communities.
As opposed to the academic researcher parachuting into a community, grabbing data, and never being heard from again, CBR requires a familiarity with the local context and sustaining relationships with those being studied. The CCE can assist faculty and students in this regard. We have deep, ongoing relationships with community-based organizations on the local, national, and even international levels, and will endeavor to connect you with groups that share your interests and can benefit from your skills. You can either contact us to facilitate a meeting or attend one of our Community Connections events, which provide networking opportunities that start you on the road to familiarity and trust.
In addition, CBR benefits from a variety of skills not likely to be possessed by one person alone. Skills that are frequently needed include the ability to conduct ethnographic research and other qualitative methods, environmental research, corporate and financial research, evaluative research, geo-spatial research, community health assessments, legal and legislative research, media and public opinion research, statistical analyses, and strategic planning. Here, too, the Center for Civic Engagement can be of assistance by drawing upon relevant resources at Hofstra and beyond to support your collaboration. Many faculty, students, administrators, staff, and alumni are already deeply engaged in communities. As a University-wide institute under the Office of the Provost, the CCE serves as a home for coordinating and synergizing these activities.
So far I’ve only mentioned one of Dr. King’s six steps to nonviolent social change. The other steps are education, personal commitment, discussion/negotiation, direct action, and reconciliation. As with collaborative research, Hofstra University offers a wealth of tools to assist community-based organizations in taking these additional steps. The CCE presents community groups with a tool kit of knowledge, skills, and resources that can be drawn from in the pursuit of measurable goals. In offering these tools, we hope to establish ongoing relationships with our community partners while assisting them in developing the capacities to independently conduct similar initiatives. Our most frequent Hofstra partners include the Center for Educational Access and Success, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law’s Community and Economic Development Clinic, Continuing Education, the Hofstra Cultural Center, the School of Health Professions and Human Services, Honors College, the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs, and the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. And this just scratches the surface of the resources available at Hofstra.
Please contact the CCE to discuss becoming one of our community partners, and learn more about the specific tools you need to fulfill your dreams of a more just, fair and peaceful world.
EAC Senior Nutrition Education & Food Services: The organization’s new Fresh from the Garden initiative provides food and cooking classes for seniors in an area void of grocery options. Hofstra students design a marketing campaign, recruit and enroll seniors in the program, and promote the initiative to the media.
Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition: The grassroots organization addresses issues facing Uniondale community members that relate to youth, business, safety, beautification, government, public transportation, housing and communication. Students attend weekly and monthly meetings, conduct research on the organization’s initiatives, and market and promote its events.
Haitian American Family of Long Island Inc.: The organization, which works to link the Haitian American community with American society, offers workshops on cultural, social and health-related issues. Students coordinate workshops and write grants for the organization.
Hempstead High School Initiative: In conjunction with the Liberty Partnerships Program and Hofstra University Honors College, the program connects Hofstra student tutors with approximately 40 students at Hempstead High School to offer eight to 12 hours per week of tutoring and mentoring.
Herstory Writers Workshops: The nonprofit organization offers memoir writing workshops in Long Island communities, schools, hospitals, and jails and uses the power of story to enact social change. Students participate in weekly workshops with Long Beach High School students, learn how to become workshop facilitators through a facilitator training program, use stories to work on a campaign to raise the minimum age children can be sent to adult prisons in New York, write grants, and work on the organization’s digital archive.
Homecoming Farm: The organic farm run by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville grows and provides food to the hungry. Students promote the organization’s initiatives via social media, help with fundraising and grant writing, complete administrative tasks, and contribute new ideas to achieve the organization’s goals.
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives: The Long Island Alliance’s mission is to educate and foster dialogue on peace, war and nonviolence and to present alternatives to militarism. Students work with the LI Alliance to promote deliberative discussions about peace on campus. They were involved with the CCE and the LI Alliance in planning the Community Watch and panels during the 2016 presidential debate held at Hofstra.
Long Island Wins: The nonprofit organization packages and promotes information related to immigration and fair immigration policy. Students write for the website (longislandwins.com), promote it through social media, and write grants for the organization. This year, students created programs to inform immigrant students about educational opportunities and to inform the public about immigration.
Uniondale Chamber of Commerce: The nonprofit organization’s mission is to promote a strong and supportive environment for Uniondale’s businesses. Students promote the organization through social media, update its website (uniondalechamber.com), recruit and retain members, conduct research, maintain its membership list, and connect with relevant media and government entities. Uniondale Community Land Trust: The nonprofit organization’s mission is to provide affordable housing through a land trust model. Students complete administrative and marketing tasks, write grants, and streamline the organization’s structure by creating and managing committees.
