Embedding a strengths-based approach in humanitarian engineering research through reflexive practice

Anna Cain, Elia Hauge, Leandra Rhodes-Dicker — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 20:53:42 +0000

Strengths-based approaches (SBAs) aim to empower communities, ensuring community assets are acknowledged and embraced. We embarked on a process to embed an SBA in ourselves as humanitarian engineering researchers. Through a process of collaborative reflexive practice, we discussed themes of engineering identity and problem-solving mentalities, power dynamics across a research process, theories for humanitarian engineering research, deficit terminology, and more. SBA tools and activities aided our process, allowing us to trial practical applications of an SBA across a research process. Through our journeys, we explored the empowering and transformational qualities of SBAs, which present in this paper. We emphasise that SBAs should not be seen as toolbox approaches, but rather as a philosophy that can be incorporated on both professional and personal levels. We present our model for embedding an SBA through reflexive practice, and we encourage others to consider the potential, and the importance, or both reflexivity and SBAs.

Training & Community Involvement for Remote Housing Projects in Australia Northern Territory

Thomas Williamson, Ali Rajabipour, Cat Kutay, Graham Gust, Mark Fudge — Thu, 16 May 2024 05:31:51 +0000

Abstractâ€”Construction of houses in remote communities faces a range of challenges, many of which would be reduced by the involvement of local community members during the construction. Remote housing demand is high and under-resourcing in existing houses impacts on the health of the occupants. This research investigates and evaluates ways to improve community engagement in remote housing projects. Builders with experience delivering remote housing projects were asked to provide insight relating to the potential training and involvement of community members during construction. It was found that builders have major challenges with work ethics, poor numeracy and literacy and language barrier in remote areas which hinder community engagement in remote projects. Some building techniques such as slab on ground and steel wall framing were found more effective for community engagement. Results also show that training of community members could be improved by setting benchmark goals to be achieved throughout a project. This means there is an opportunity for housing projects in remote communities to improve on essential training and employment through better involvement of local community members during construction, in turn this will lead to better maintenance and understanding of houses.

Journal of Humanitarian Engineering

Embedding a strengths-based approach in humanitarian engineering research through reflexive practice

Training & Community Involvement for Remote Housing Projects in Australia Northern Territory