Past ACCES activities

Investigación - Acción y métodos participativos.
Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República Montevideo, Uruguay, April 10, 2003

This workshop, held at the Faculty of Agronomy of the national university of Uruguay, was to share participatory research methodologies and discuss university outreach. It was an opportunity to exchange experiences in academic-community cooperation in Canada and Uruguay. Presenter/facilitator: Beatriz Oliver. See summary in spanish PDF >>

"Bridging Community and University"
Research Tools for Social Justice and Environmental Sustainability A workshop series presented by ACCES and the Research Internship Program September 2001 - February 2002

ACCES, together with the Research Internship Coordinator of QPIRG-McGill, developed a series of participatory workshops on how we can build stronger partnerships between the university and community groups. In these workshops we explored how we can make research more accessible and relevant to community groups and how students can make their research projects more effective for social change. We learnt together what universities can offer community groups and what professors and students need to know in order to form meaningful partnerships with them.

Four workshops addressing these issues were offered in the 2001/2002 academic year, titled:
I. Introduction to Participatory and Applied Research;
II. Participatory Research Methods;
III. Making Research Accessible, Issues of Dissemination; and
IV. Building University-Community Partnerships. We invite you to see the results that we gathered from this initiative!

See full summary of Workshop (PDF document) >>

"Rural Organizing in Huitzilac, Mexico"
Concordia University, January 28, 2001 and McGill University, May 10, 2001

This presentation and workshop was done in the course "Women and Development", in the Department of Women's Studies, Concordia University, as well as in the course "Comparative Education, Women, Gender and Development", in the Department of Culture and Values (Faculty of Education), McGill University. Presenters/facilitators: Gisela Frias, Beatriz Oliver.

"Popular Education Workshop Series: The Participatory Diagnosis"
ACCES workshop McGill University, February 2001

This workshop was on the use of popular education in research methods and communication.

"Methodological Alternatives, A Marketplace"
ACCES workshops November 2000

This was a series of workshops on participatory methodologies, which included:
• "An Overview of the Potential and Pitfalls of Social Mapping", by Wolfram Dressler (Ph.D. candidate, Geography, McGill).
• "The Fotonovela as a Participatory Research Tool, The Organizational Experience of Las Golondrinas", by Gisela Frias (PhD candidate, Geography, McGill).
• "Two examples in the use of participatory research for social change", by Beatriz Oliver (PhD candidate, Anthropology, McGill).
• Presentation on the experience of a group working to build environmental awareness through popular theatre.
• "A Forest Restauration Project in Mexico: A participatory experience" by Leonardo Cabrera. (PhD candidate, Geography, McGill)
• "Sami (Indigenous people of the north of Scandinavia) Experiences with Participatory Research", by Blair Stevenson (M.A. candidate, Geography, McGill).

The "EcoJuego" as a tool for a participatory diagnosis and research
ACCES meeting McGill University, October 26, 2000

The "Ecojuego" was developed by Margarita Hurtado (GEMA) as a tool for participatory research and education. Presenter/facilitator: Gisela Frias

Workshop on popular education methods
ACCES workshop Montreal, August 2000

This workshop was given in collaboration with a grassroots Montreal group called Collectif Zones Libres d'Education Alternative, who organized day-long series of workshops on trade liberalization, the environment and social justice.

"Youth Engagement"
Workshop and panel presentation for the Green Street Program Capacity Building Conference
McConnell Foundation Montreal, December 1, 2000

Beatriz Oliver (ACCES) together with Arciris Garay of the Youth for Social Justice Network, gave a workshop based on the "Youth Friendly Guide" developed by the Youth Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network. The panel was on youth and environmental education.

"Participatory Education in Community Organizing"
Roundtable at "Understanding and Practice: Conference on Participatory Development and Beyond" Ottawa University, August 1999

The session was on non-formal participatory education (for example, environmental, popular and adult education), and its potential role in more effective community organizing. The discussion was based on participants' experiences and interests concerning the uses of education in community development and activism. Presenter/facilitator: Beatriz Oliver (ACCES).

"Linking environmental research, activism and education"
ACCES workshop McGill University, March 26, 1999

This workshop was on how to make research and education more useful for action towards environmental sustainability by integrating research into environmental education and through popular education. Participants were from McGill and non-governmental organizations from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. Presenters/facilitators: Darlene Clover, Shirley Follen (Transformative Learning Centre, OISE, University of Toronto); Gisela Frias, Beatriz Oliver (ACCES).

"Experiences with advocacy work, applied and participatory research"
ACCES panel McGill University, March 25, 1999

This panel presentation was on researchers' responsibilities to the communities they work in and experiences with applied research including advocacy work, action and participatory research. Presenters: Shirley Follen (Transformative Learning Centre, OISE, University of Toronto); Gisela Frias (ACCES); Professor Colin Scott (Anthropology, McGill University).

"Popular and Environmental Education: Experiences from Mexico and Canada"
ACCES workshop McGill University, March 27, 1998

The objective of this day of workshops was to promote discussion

of environmental and populareducation. In the morning there were workshops highlighting the work of environmental and popular educators from Canada and Latin America. In the afternoon there was a workshop entitled "Sharing techniques in popular and environmental education".There were about thirty-five participants, including university students from Quebec and Ontario, professors and community groups. Presenters/facilitators: Arciris Garay (Youth for Social Justice Network); Margarita Hurtado (GEMA); Mike Nickerson (The Sustainability Project); Gisela Frias, Beatriz Oliver (ACCES).

Consortium for Community-based Biodiversity Conservation
Second International Workshop: "New Tools for Supporting Environmental Decisions" Montreal, December 11-13, 1997

The workshop brought together a tri-national alliance of community based environmental groups and geographic information specialists who seek to support local environmental initiatives.

Non-governmental organizations and academic partnerships from Mexico, the US and Canada came

together in this gathering partially financed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

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