Web: www.barod.orgEmail: info@barod.org

Spreading ideas changing attitudesBarod

CroesoWelcome

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Barod - Who we are

We have three worker-directors

MalAlan Anne

And two employees

Owen Catherine

We are a community interest company

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

What we do• Make easy read and accessible information

• Research

• Find out what people think

•Coffee shop conversations

•Provide speakers and thinkers

Barod and research• We are not academics – (but Anne has an MA)

• We have not had a research grant – (but we did try)

• We do practical policy research– Models for social care social enterprise– Coffee shop conversations

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Ownership

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

• My space: academics involve “users”

• Your space: activists involve academics

• New space: people working together

Our experience

We head-hunted an academic

• Topic – Barod’s expertise

• Methods – Catherine’s expertise

• We knew we needed each other

• It was about the people, not our hats

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Lessons we learnedon creating a new space

• Leave your ego outside the door

• Bring your expertise to the table for others to use

• Don’t gloss over or devalue anyone’s skills

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

But it’s not just about people

People can leave egos outside the door

But how do you leave your institution

outside the door?

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

(Maybe we will find the answer when someone works out how Structure and Agency interact in this context...)

Impact

What’s the point of research?

Life’s too short...

Impact of process

Impact of findings

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Impact – our experience

• No impact from findings (as we didn’t get funded!)

• Impact on us:

– more confidence, better understanding

– developed the coffee shop conversations

• Impact on university:– Re-thinking inclusive research – MARS

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Old and young together

• Feminist web sounds like the Ely Hospital project.

• Modern young women meeting people who in their life time had to do direct action so the young women had stuff they didn’t even have to

think about.• Maybe conversations always change people.

Spreading ideas changing attitudes

Our advice?

• Know who owns the space• Remember: if you involve me, you still hold the power

• Keep talking

• Keep it real

Spreading ideas changing attitudes