In carrying out their work in Park Extension, researchers who belong to this network commit to:
- Valuing residents as knowledgeable experts and seeking opportunities for co-creation, co-design and co-researching wherever there is interest from residents to do so.
- Being “invited in” by residents, community groups or coalitions, and respect that these same groups may “refuse” their presence, or that of academic institutions.
- Pursue questions that connect to community concerns, desires and curiosities.
- Being transparent about research process, budget, timelines, expectations and benefits (e.g., to researcher, research assistants, community).
- Paying people for the time they invest in your research at a suggested rate of $15-20 per hour.
- Engage in research practices that are respectful and have been vetted by the people you are working with, using appropriate language.
- Recognize the contributions of local contributors in all research documents (papers, presentations, as co-authors, etc…).
- Return all research findings/items to the community, in timely ways.
- Negotiate direct benefits to community (e.g., knowledge, economic, service, paid work) prior to beginning a project.
- Commit to mutual learning and building local capacity.