Community Action Research Programme (CARP)

Uzwelano: Building Compassionate Communities (Stream I)

Stream I attempts to advance a holistic approach to community-building, whereby symbolic and material resources are harnessed towards advancing community interests as they are engaged and defined by community members. Projects within this Stream are longitudinal and participatory. In addressing each of the three dimensions of violence outlined in CARP’s conceptualisation (violence as direct, structural and epistemic), the projects in this Stream aim to promote three interlocking justices, namely: material justice, epistemic justice, and psychosocial justice.

The central objectives of Stream I are to:

  • Demonstrate the processes, outcomes and impacts of multi-dimensional violence prevention and peace promotion interventions by advancing material justice, epistemic justice, and psychosocial justice.
  • Progressively saturate the demonstration site through the development, implementation, evaluation and adoption of research-led interventions that contribute to the promotion of safety and peace.
  • Initiate and support community-engaged interventions that address the plurality of violence over the long-term.
  • Recognise the demonstration site beyond the dominant deficit-focused representations and narratives of the community.
  • Support and strengthen community-building praxes that challenge static conceptions of community.

Last modified: Mon Aug 07 18:03:37 SAST 2023