I Brielle am working with thread to weave connection

I Brielle am working with experiential practices to incorporate into community research

I Brielle am working with communities to create connection collaboratively

I Brielle am working with researchers to implement healing practices into their methodologies

I Brielle am working with creative healing practices to implement into community research projects

I Brielle am working with Neighborhood Safety Initiatives to incorporate restorative frameworks into research methodologies

I Brielle am working with participatory research to create connection and healing through shared creative experience

I Brielle am working with creative arts and embodiment practices to reimagine research methodologies

I Brielle am working with anti-oppressive ideological frameworks to understand the shortcomings of traditional research practices

I Brielle am working with justice movements to create more meaningful narratives that advance values aligned solutions

• Write 5 facts from your research that you have found surprising about your area of interest.

  • Research is “suppose” to be objective. But how can a researcher objectify themselves in the process?
  • Research is suppose to find truth. But truth is an increasingly complex moving target.
  • Violence, in all forms, is a relational issue, and yet we use methods of further disconnect to “solve” it
  • Detachment, objectivity and suspending bias are used to research a topic that is relational by nature, complex and socially constructed. make it make sense please.
  • Not surprising but annoying, because of capitalism and the philanthropy industrial complex, participatory methodologies are hard to enact due to time constraints and mandatory impact reporting by the donors, and funders who are often most removed from the issue.

• What are 3 organizations in New York (or your country of interest) dealing with questions or working with stakeholders related to your area of interest (Which has leadership that you find compelling? Which one do you think has the most impact and why?)

  • **Neighborhood Safety Initiatives “**Neighborhood Safety Initiatives works to improve public safety in New York City by investing in residents, transforming public spaces, and influencing policy…NSI provides training to local residents in community organizing, human-centered design, and re-envisioning public spaces to promote people’s wellbeing.”
    • I love that NSI is already implementing participatory methods into policy making
    • They have a very holistic approach to increasing safety and community empowerment
    • I think they have impact because they are apart of Center for Court Innovation and have working and financial relationships with NYC Housing Authority and other partners
  • **Restorative Justice Initiatives** “is a citywide, multi-sector network of practitioners, advocates and community members seeking to increase support for, and access to, restorative justice approaches for all New Yorkers.”
    • They have a huge network of practitioner’s advocates and community members that are dedicated to advancing the use of Restorative Justice.
    • They have previously worked with Mayors Office of Criminal Justice, although I am not sure what that relationship looks like anymore.
    • I am not sure what their impact looks like but they have a huge network, so they have a lot of power in numbers
  • **NYC Civic Engagement Commission** - Runs a citywide participatory budgeting program with guidance from a participatory budgeting advisory committee; Partner with community-based organizations and civic leaders, increase awareness of City services, and assist New York City agencies in developing civic engagement initiatives
    • The People’s Money is a democratic process in which community members decide how a portion of the City budget ($5 Million) is spent to empower and build stronger communities.
    • This is open to all New Yorker’s but it would be interesting to learn more about the processes that they use. I am speaking with their design researcher this week

• Imagine. What is the ideal outcome of your thesis project? Can you imagine that in one year with your intervention that you will be able to measurably, and at some scale, address this?

  At this moment I think that my idea outcome of my thesis is to emphasize the importance of restorative practices when working with communities impacted by the prison system, particularly in the research field. In order for the research to properly defend this restorative alternative to incarceration, it also must be embodying the restoration of human relationships, dignity, respect, empathy, and a sense of collective responsibility. We need to be shifting from singular, isolated data towards a systems view and storytelling foundation for researching complex, relational social issues. At this current moment it’s hard for me to imagine what I would be measuring beyond feelings of connection and healing by participants, but hopefully the organization and folks that I work with will also be involved in defining success.

the issues lies in the:

limited direct investment in personal development and community capacity building within community improvement projects related to public safety and wellness.