Principle 10

Principle 10: 

Commitment to a long-term, sustainable process

CBPR takes time, resources, commitment and energy of the research partnership to ensure ownership and sustainability. This includes considering the project’s short, medium and long term goals and the impact it will have after the academic researchers have left the partnership.

Capacities (competencies and conditions)

●        Flexibility and commitment to move the partnership and the project forward through both high and low points and to sustain efforts over time

●        Ability to encourage sustainability of partnership by investing in and maintaining (a) the partnership, (b) its capacity and resources, (c) infrastructure, and (d) research products

●        Capacity to think forward and build sustainable structures before the project ends

●        Skill to engage stakeholders and share plans for sustaining efforts

●        Investment in core resources (people, funds, committees, systems)

●        Programme activities are either incorporated into the structures of the original organisation, integrated into another institution or government, or the programme itself becomes an autonomous agency such as an independent charitable organisation

  • Potential outcomes

    ●        Stakeholders have a better understanding of the importance of sustainability, enabling the facilitation of community empowerment within the participatory development process

    ●        Enhanced likelihood that the partnership will continue and that research results will be translated into action and institutionalised within the community

  • Potential activities

    ●        Co-develop processes that support and facilitate citizen participation in local governance

    ●        Reflective workshops to develop a ‘critical consciousness’ about ownership and sustainability

    ●        Planning workshops to consider the future of the partnership leadership, which is essential in avoiding stagnation or dissipation in a movement, recognising that funded involvement of academic partners is time bound

    ●        Create structures to nurture and sustain the partnership including developing ‘group rules’ or formal memoranda of understanding to guide the work. Frequent check-ins on partnership process and not merely task-related updates to build and maintain effective collaborations

    ●        Jointly define sustainable capacity for the programme at the outset

    ●        Encourage grassroots community involvement to support long-term sustainability. Community membership and their buy-in are important for the visioning and implementation process and for the long-term desired health and social change

  • Examples of benchmarks to assess progress

    ●        Linkages to other groups and communities

    ●        Evidence of impact such as policy change or increased capacity

    ●        Demonstrated financial independence through new partnerships and local autonomy in decision-making

    ●        Increase in ability to independently undertake policy related change

  • Examples of sources of evidence

    ●        Sustainability plans

    ●        Audio visual outputs such as blogs, vlogs and podcasts

    ●        Assessments of community readiness to take over projects

    ●        Resource reports detailing external project support

    ●        Grant/funding applications (led by community groups)

    ●        Advocacy for sustainable organisations, resources and networks

*Please note that some statements are adaptations or direct quotes from the papers listed in the reference section