Final Reflections

- Has your involvement in community-based research impacted your motivation to engage in community issues, research or service?
- What assistance will be most helpful to you in the fall semester in wrapping up your CBR project?
- Write a brief letter of advice to a 2010 CBR-SURF.

When I started this research project at the beginning of the summer, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was going into a new country to immerse myself in a new community, and at the same time trying to complete a research project whose only validation was a grant proposal. However, it has been a couple of weeks since I have been back in Chapel Hill, and I think it took this time to realize the significance of my project. My participation in an international community-based project this summer has helped highlight problems and issues locally. Having lived in Chapel Hill since elementary school, I think I had become almost desensitized to the various forces that shape this community. However, by traveling to a completely foreign place and by making discoveries along the way, I have come to better understand my environment here in Chapel Hill.

Right now, I am continuing to maintain email correspondence with the SMILE program coordinators. We are collaborating to create and implement changes to the SMILE curriculum and to also answer some of the questions that I wrote about in my previous post. So far, the discussions have mainly involved the photovoice project and how it can be used to educate the residents of Rasoolpura. The coordinators hope to use my blog and video as a means of communicating the effort of programs like Mahita to the greater community. I hope to continue this correspondence through the fall semester, and I will update the blog with any new information.

If I had to give any advice to future CBR-SURF participants, I would say that the most important part of the process is your project proposal. As obvious and simple as it sounds, it really is the most crucial element. Although your proposal will be nothing close to perfect, trying to sketch out most of the details and foreseeing problems that might arise will make the completion of your project much easier. Also, it is really important to believe in your project and be excited about it. You will be working on this for at least 9 weeks, so make sure it is something you truly care and are curious about. Another piece of advice is to start your IRB as early as you can! I think that one of the most difficult parts of my experience was the IRB approval process. Although the IRB process and your final exams will probably occur during the same time, just go ahead and finish the IRB because it is just a time-consuming process that you can't really avoid. I remember for my project, it was extremely difficult because I was a) working with minors b) using media c) working with underrepresented groups and d) working in a region that didn't speak English. So having all these, I probably had about 50-60 pages of IRB paperwork! START EARLY on the IRB because you can't start your project until you get approval. Finally, I would say to have fun on your trip. As cliche as it sounds, there will definitely be times, especially if you are working in a new location, that you will just want to quit, pack up and go home. However, it is during those times that you should realize that you will only get this opportunity once, and you should be able to enjoy, or at least learn from, the good and not so good elements of it.

Good luck everyone, and thanks so much for keeping up with me and my project this summer!