Aboriginal Participatory Action Research: Learnings from The Bigiswun Kid (adolescent) Project

Purpose

The Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre (MWRC) is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation located in the remote Fitzroy Valley of Western Australia. At the request of Aboriginal community members, the MWRC partnered with the University of Sydney to conduct the Bigiswun Kid (Kimberley Kriol for adolescents) Project to understand and improve the health and wellbeing of young people living in the Fitzroy Valley. An Aboriginal participatory action research (APAR) approach guided the research design. This paper discusses the experience of implementing the APAR approach.

Methods

How the elements of the APAR approach were incorporated into the Bigiswun Kid Project are described and three key implementation components are detailed: Aboriginal leadership and governance; community consultation; and Aboriginal researchers/community navigators.

Main findings

The benefits of implementing the APAR approach included empowering the participants and communities, emphasising research in action and promoting knowledge translation. Five lessons from using this approach are also discussed.

Principal conclusions

The APAR approach empowered young people and community members to actively participate in the study, guiding the focus, design and tangible outcomes. The approach ensured that knowledge translation began while the research was conducted, to provide immediate and long-term outcomes for young people.