Melbourne Action Research Issues Centre

Everything (quickly!)

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The Centre is situated in the central business district of Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria.

It is currently transforming from its previous life (over its history since 1989) of being an action research resource centre with a full work program of consulting, writing, publishing, running workshops and networks of action researchers, and developing our theories about how we do participatory action research (PAR).

During 2002 we expect to be reborn as a ‘virtual’ Centre operating as a well-signposted website directing visitors to the best action research resources (including our own) that we can find, initially Australia-wide, and eventually internationally.

The Centre is run by members of the Action Research Issues Association. The Association comprises around thirty enthusiastic supporters of PAR who meet monthly over dinner to discuss ideas and what we are all doing.

Our larger network (of 100) was amalgamated some years ago with the Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management Association (ALARPM).

Try a quick visit to the ALARPM /PAR World Congress 2000 website

Got any more time?

Would you like to know…

A little about our history?

Our philosophy?

The Centre’s six-fold work program?:

The Centre's work program consists of:

1. Methodology development—PAR concepts, thinking, models, etc.
2. Assisting people through consultancy/advisory work to carry out their own PAR
3. Providing, encouraging or/and supporting PAR critical discussion-and-contact networks
4. Providing input or/and facilitation of group mutual teaching/learning re. PAR - such as workshops, guest lectures, conferences, course development, student research placements, consultancy to student research (such as supervision)
5. Promoting, publicising and popularising PAR through publishing accessible written and other materials—such as books, papers, videos, directories, etc.
6. Developing or facilitating access to a range of other specialised resources —such as through advocacy or referral, regarding, for example, the provision of grants and funds for PAR.

The Association of more than 30 interested people who run the Centre?

The Association's purposes?

...each addressed by an element of the Centre's Work Program

The inspiring physical locations for the Centre at Ross House and Victoria University.

Our understanding of what is participatory action research (PAR)?

…We will be progressively increasing our content here. In the interim see a paper on this topic by Yoland Wadsworth, Co-ordinator of Melbourne Action Research Issues Centre (ARIC), in the first issue of Action Research International - the new on-line journal edited by Bob Dick.

Other organisations with which we link?

- such as…

ALARPM Assoc. Inc.—the international action learning, action research and process management association responsible for the World Congresses

AR-List—the international action research on-line discussion group—and
AR-Jour—the Action Research International on-line journal: for both of these, e-mail Bob Dick at bdick@scu.edu.au

Borderlands—the University of Suburbia

Commonground—a little like an Australian Highlander (Tennessee's famous rural residential education and research centre)