The P.A.C.E

Why P.A.C.E? We conceive P.A.C.E as a framework that integrates Prevention, Advocacy, Connection, and Education (P.A.C.E) prioritizing community’s voices through qualitative and quantitative research methods to  identify participants' perceptions, inquiries and desire for knowledge towards civil rights, criminal and social justice, it is the community which determines our tempo to address pressing issues in the criminal and legal system. The feedback provided by participants will help us to determine educational initiatives, resources, and potential  partnerships.

​

P.A.C.E is stemming from CBPR (Community Based Research Participation), which can be defined as a collaborative approach where “Community voice is present at every stage of the process, including defining the research questions, deciding who should participate, determining how to collect data, and figuring out how to share findings. Knowledge is not created by researchers, but rather co-created by the group of community members and researchers.” (Vickery, 2019).

 

Community Based Research Participation is grounded in critical social research and theory. “Critical social research and theory assert that people are not merely passive victims, and that given the right circumstances they are capable of developing strategies of resistance when faced with exploitative circumstances. It is about enabling people to realize their own power through reflection and action, to  challenge structural injustices and to be agents of change (Sewpaul 2003).” (Sewpaul et al; 2014, p. 108)