Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellycommunity based practitioners chose to focus their presentation on theirexperiences and stories of working in collaboration with community members,rather than discussing in depth the methodological theories that underpinnedtheir practice. A researcher in the audience, who had spent many yearscontemplating deeply the intricacies, similarities and differences of actionresearch, action learning and community development, asked the practitionersto differentiate between community development and action research. For mostof the practitioners, these concepts were intertwined in a very practical andpragmatic sense. For the researcher, the concepts were vastly different andmelding the concepts together was offensive. This interaction highlighted verydifferent viewpoints about academic theoretical concepts and practicalapplication.My reflections as a nurse researcherThis Collaboration Area was a huge learning curve for me. In many ways Itook my belief in what was possible and ran with it, with like minded people.The PAR process of Look and Listen, Think and Discuss and Take Actionprovided a safe and effective framework, assisting us to follow through all thesteps, working in collaboration and finding creative ways of doing thingtogether. Developing a partnership between Team SA, ALARA and TauondiCollege was at times challenging, particularly when the people involved, theagreements, arrangements and priorities changed. I learned the skill of gentlyyet firmly holding the collaborative process together, allowing Ganmaknowledge sharing foam to emerge while ensuring tangible and pragmaticoutcomes and timelines were met.Working alongside Kim O Donnell I learned how to create and hold a spacethat is truly collaborative and promotes consensus while meeting set deadlinesand expectations (such as meeting budgets). I learned the benefits of holding agroup of people together, but not too tightly, letting the information come in,recording it, sharing it, and letting it continue to flow. This is the kind of spacethat enables creative and spiritual things to occur. Holding control too tightlykeeps creative possibilities and unexpected benefits away.317