Spinning Community – University Partnerships

Dr. Jonathan London, Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis

Dr. Jonathan London is an Assistant Professor in the Human and Community Development, Department of Human Ecology, at the University of California, Davis. Jonathan’s research addresses conflicts and collaboration in natural resource and environmental issues, with a particular emphasis on marginalized rural communities and environmental justice issues in California. Jonathan holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Brown University, a Masters in City and Regional Planning and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science Policy and Management from UC Berkeley. Jonathan is committed to a participatory and collaborative research approach, actively engaging communities in the production of application of knowledge to improve social, economic, political, and environmental conditions. Jonathan directs the UC Davis Center for Regional Change, which serves as a catalyst for multi-disciplinary research to inform strategies to build healthy, prosperous, equitable, and sustainable regions, http://regionalchange.ucdavis.edu/. Prior to joining UC Davis, he co-founded and directed Youth In Focus, a pioneering non-profit organization, dedicated to youth empowerment and social change through youth-led research, evaluation and planning.

Abstract

Community-university partnerships have been shown to produce significant value for both sets of partners, providing reciprocal learning opportunities, (re)building of bonds of trust, and creating unique venues to formulate and apply research that responds to community interests and informs collaborative solutions to community problems. For such partnerships to be mutually empowering, certain design characteristics are necessary, including respect for different modes and expressions of knowledge, capacity-building for all parties, and an environment that promotes honest and constructive dialogue about inevitable tensions associated with the interplay of knowledge and power.

The webinar, which was held January 27, 2013, was recorded and is available for download here.

Read more about PROTECT webinars here.