Testimonials

What do the tools, software and theoretical insights of SAS2 Dialogue bring to your work? We asked this question of SAS2 practitioners during the International SAS2 Forum in 2009. Following are responses from forum participants and several practitioners around the world.

Canada (English)

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Canada (French)

 

 Asia (English)

 

Asia (Nepali and Marathi)

 

Latin America (Spanish)

 

SAS2 Forum Experience

 

Summary Statement on Participatory Action Research informed by SAS2, formulated by participants in Celebrating Dialogue: An International SAS2 Forum, November 2, 2008.

DIALOGICAL PAR informed by SAS supports open dialogue and knowledge sharing by a broad range of people working together — people-centred collaborative learning and sensemaking in context.

RIGOROUS PAR informed by SAS supports use of a wide range of tools to support evidence-based thinking — an artful process linking traditional/local and expert knowledge systems towards the creation of new social knowledge.

EMPOWERING PAR informed by SAS promotes action-learning, meaningful collective action and community decision-making — empowering people to define their goals and to act.

INSPIRATIONAL PAR informed by SAS helps undertake a complex journey through the creation of space for collaborative learning that is sacred, playful, youthful, and feminine.

TRANSFORMATIVE PAR informed by SAS supports ongoing positive learning and problem solving towards social change and transformation, hence real improvements in the situations people are dealing with.

QUOTES from practitioners:

  • "Collaborative inquiry is an action learning process that allows a broad range of people to work together with vigor and genuine concern to reach sound decisions on issues of importance to them."
  • "PAR informed by SAS is a new way of generating positive changes and actions with committed and engaged people who become actors of their own future in a process that makes sense and brings equality to everyone."
  • "PAR informed by SAS is not only an exercise, it is a guiding way for getting us engaged, including the facilitators, in an ongoing process that leads to improvement on any situation we are dealing with."
  • "The 'artful' processes that engage people's knowledge, systems and interests facilitates the expression of complex moral and cultural values of all stakeholders to address issues."
  • "SAS provides the means that can help us use PAR to assist people solve their problems by a collective action in a better way."
  • "SAS helps to create a sacred space for collaborative learning that guides communities on a journey to transform their social conditions."
  • "Building collaboration amongst stakeholders in a way that respects and reconciles the parameters within which they are willing to be engaged for the purposes of action toward desired change."
  • "PAR informed by SAS is a process to engage people to reflect and understand different perspectives in a way that leads to collective action."
  • "Participation is the opportunity for the people to strengthen their capacity to work together. An alliance emerges around the power of now. Helps to save time and consider more alternatives regarding problems and development. Allows for the emergence, development and discovery of new alternatives."
  • "Closes the gap between traditional/local and expert knowledge systems - it shows that neither is sufficient on its own."
  • "Set of PAR tools integrated in a vision that bridges gaps between research, action and decision making. Process driven."
  • "Une implication authetique de tous les acteurs dans un processus de reflexion menant vers des actions signifiantes."
  • "A rigorous, collaborative investigation to create new social knowledge that generates change in a particular context."
  • "People centered and evidence based process of decision making for the community."
  • "Aid for a complex journey of ongoing learning and change."