So now KCDT, and anyone else who has a good reason to be interested in Kirknewton, can use this information to take forward any ideas which have emerged. With your help the trust will drive forward your ideas which will help bring about positive changes and improvements and help make Kirknewton an exemplar village.
Aim of the work The aim of the overall work was to ensure local views inform the preparation of the next 5 year community development plan and ensure it is based on community knowledge and solutions. The work aimed: • to reach as wide a cross-section of the community as possible in terms of age, gender and locality; • to encourage people to share their knowledge, ideas, opinions and solutions about the issues for their community and how positive changes might be implemented.
Why participatory appraisal? In order to understand how people feel about the area and find out what they would like to see happening, an approach was needed that would let people share their views about what they thought about the area, and make suggestions about what could be done to change or improve it. Participatory appraisal recognises that the people who live in the community have the knowledge and experience to comment on it, and specifically encourages reaching out beyond the “usual suspects”. It encourages people to share their ideas and knowledge about life and local conditions. It tries to involve as wide a cross section of local people as possible, and make sure there is equal representation. This means that those whose voices are not often heard or valued – “the hidden voices” – are heard. PA recognises that people’s lives and ideas and experiences are different and sometimes complex. So it reaches out to as many members of the community as possible, and does not try to create averages or demand that everyone is the same. A single comment may be highly significant and very useful. The use of visual methods enhances and encourages participation. These provide a structure, and act as a focus for discussion and analysis. If you would like to know more about this method of working, contact Vikki Hilton of Hilton Associates4 All the outcomes in this study are based on what people have said, and we have recorded them all as important. Please do read all the comments in the appendices.
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3 Priory Grove, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland. EH30 9LZ.
vikki@hiltonassociates.com
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