“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

We should believe there is help out there; we should give out the help as much as possible. Don’t just take from life, give a little as well. Being such change, offering help for others, is the number one motivator in an effective PAR project. It can be any issue that today’s society is facing. For instance my individual research question: “Why are there so many different neighborhoods in Boston that are facing safety issues”? From such research question we can find many important and unavoidable answers. This is the beauty of successful research process. Solid questions, an interesting topic, and a will to work hard on results, can wrap it up neatly.

            For every project, including mine, primary and secondary sources are needed. For primary sources I included official reports, speeches, pamphlets, posters, or letters by participants, and first-hand accounts (field noted and observations). Interviews/focus groups, surveys results, field notes/observations, and geographic information systems are parts of my primary sources. For secondary sources I included case studies as well as analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation of the events. I will be focusing much more on primary sources, which is usual in a PAR project, although I will also rely on secondary sources to be helpful. They going to be gathered from first hand, meaning that no information will be used to make this work, it will be all real, all self-made, and supported with present people. On the other hand I’ll have secondary sources and a little different methodology. In this case I am going to use my document collection, such as articles from internet and newspapers, data gathered by other people, and books. Other part is again GIS and the maps including information essential to understand the topic.

Gathering all kinds of information is a time-consuming exercise. Primary source for instance will be most powerful but at the same time most difficult and challenging to get. Planning to go to CBO sites and during my 20h get as much primary sources as possible will be the goal. From what I know this place supposed to help me a lot in my project. People, who work there, are experts in society’s issues. They may come up with great points, solutions, and ideas for my own actions. I can’t wait to accomplish that, as well as pass out the surveys, observe them how they communicate with each other, how a normal day looks like for people like them, helping today’s society. The secondary source I hope will be much easier to gain but much less exciting and interesting. There will be just another fact on the paper, which I will analyze and conclude afterwards. Nothing special I would say but very important part to my whole project. At the end of completing, analyzing and graphing my all sources there will be time to process my research reflection which going to be most pleasant and joyful part of my work. Exhausted but happy I am going to conclude what I have done, how I have done it and why I have done all that. I am hoping to make myself proud in this whole process, there is a long way to go, many steps before me. I need to hope that this project will bring a change to me and for others because hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies…