Spaces for the children of the urban poor: experiences with participatory action research (PAR)

This paper explains why participatory action research
(PAR) could be so important in helping the children of the
urban poor, and those who work with them, generate relevant
insights into their specific needs and priorities and help them
influence decisions that are taken about their lives. The paper
begins by discussing the problems facing children in urban areas
of the South and why more participatory research approaches
which work with children have come to the fore. It then describes
what participatory action research is (and is not) and why researchers
and the institutions that fund them have difficulty in
supporting such a research approach, especially in relation to
children. The paper then addresses the three main implications
for researchers who want to use PAR with children: taking responsibility
for the children’s needs and priorities within the research;
balancing participation and mediation; and ensuring the
research helps to negotiate more spaces for children in their environment
and more power in their relationship with the state
and society.