Our Moonshot:
By 2050, everyone on earth will have experienced at least once what it’s like to work together to build a fantastic world. Through that experience, everyone will feel what it’s like to have a voice, to be valued and respected, to be meaningful both to themselves and to the wider world, and to contribute in a way that suits them and gives them positive energy.
We will not achieve our Moonshot via a single straight path, but via various paths that reinforce one another. Each path represents a desired shift in the world that enhances the capacity of people and communities to create change together. Within SevenSenses, we all contribute to one or more of these paths. We do this through our four zones (SevenSenses Academy, SevenSenses Field, SevenSenses Foundation, SevenSenses Institute, read more about the four zones of the SevenSenses Ecosystem here).
First, let’s look at the Seven Paths to the Moonshot. Each path first describes the ideal we are working towards, and then what we do at SevenSenses to get as close to it as possible.
1. The path to recognition
PAR as a globally recognised, accessible and intuitive method
PAR is understandable, applicable and accessible all over the world, regardless of language, culture, level of education or context. It is an intuitive way of shaping policy, programmes and innovation, together with people rather than about them.
By applying PAR and providing training in it across various levels of society (ministries, counties, local authorities, NGOs and more) and in different sectors (healthcare and prevention, development cooperation, nature conservation, human rights and more), we are strengthening this path.
2. The network pathway
A global network of PAR practitioners and PAR trainers
There are hundreds of thousands of people who can carry out and supervise PAR and train PAR practitioners.
As far as we are aware, there is no organisation worldwide that – like SevenSenses – focuses purely and exclusively on Participatory Action Research (and PAR-related methods) as its core activity and as a fully integrated ecosystem of training, implementation, research, funding and community. This makes SevenSenses unique worldwide, the leading specialist in the field of Participatory Action Research and the place to be for training and certifying PAR practitioners and trainers, thereby enabling us to expand the network exponentially.
3. The educational pathway
PAR integrated into education
PAR features in the curriculum from primary school right through to university. As children, young people and adults experience how to bring about change together, it becomes a generational skill.
At SevenSenses, we are working to integrate PAR into education by training teachers and headteachers in PAR and supporting them in integrating PAR into the existing curriculum or even developing an entirely new curriculum.
4. The funding pathway
Global funding flows for PAR
SevenSenses enables local PARs and the initiatives that arise from them around the world by providing appropriate funding, particularly where resources are lacking.
Since 2015, SevenSenses has had an ANBI-registered foundation, the SevenSenses Foundation, through which we can give PAR a helping hand worldwide wherever it is needed. SevenSenses supports the Foundation, and in addition, the Foundation is actively seeking partners and co-funders so that it can grow into a major international fund capable of providing the necessary support worldwide.
5. The digital pathway
A digital infrastructure that connects PAR worldwide and raises its profile
People all over the world can follow PARs, see the impact they make, share stories, find training, receive support and inspire one another.
SevenSenses is working on this initiative through various channels, such as a multilingual website, social media, the online platform Beeconomy Online and a YouTube channel. In addition, we are constantly devising new ways to raise the profile of PAR, such as the PAR Atlas.
6. The culture pathway
A global cultural shift towards collaboration, ownership and collective intelligence
The idea of solving problems together is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
By enabling people to experience PAR everywhere — in neighbourhoods, teams, villages, schools, organisations and so on — we are creating more and more places where people realise that community-led collaboration works. Every PAR leaves a trail of trust, ownership and collective intelligence. The more PARs that take place, the stronger this cultural shift becomes, until it becomes the norm to solve problems together rather than facing each other as opponents.
7. The path of evidence
Conclusive evidence that PAR works, both scientifically and in practice
Scientific research is increasingly showing that PAR delivers on its promises. Furthermore, as a method, PAR can continue to develop and adapt to the demands of the present day, thanks to scientific research.
The SevenSenses Institute provides strong scientific evidence and visible, measurable impact. This creates legitimacy, trust and a willingness to scale up the methodology to other regions. In this regard, the SevenSenses Institute collaborates with, amongst others, the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University, Leiden University Medical Centre, the Amsterdam Academic Centre for Dentistry and the University of Twente.
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Whether you’re seeking training, collaboration, or inspiration, SevenSenses is your partner in community-driven change.
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