Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Projects with Action Research

ANROWS hosted three national workshops on action research, the prevention of gender-based violence and safer pathways for CALD communities to crisis and support services for family violence. In partnership with Our Watch, ANROWS also created two Communities of Practice to enable the project teams to build strong networks and regularly share ideas, successes and challenges.

The CALD PAR initiative built on lessons learned from the ANROWS Building Safe Communities for Women and their Children (BSCW) action research initiative. The central goal of action research is to create positive change and develop practical solutions to local problems faced by organisations working with CALD communities. Action research provided organisations with opportunities to adapt project activities to ensure that better outcomes are achieved. It also contributed to building a body of evidence during the course of everyday work.

The CALD PAR initiative produced a report with ten insights that identify directions for future work. Some of these include increasing strengths-based community engagement, using aspirational language to frame activities, creating non-judgemental spaces to engage CALD men as allies, building capacity in culturally safe practice and supporting bicultural workers.