[!glossary][!table of contents]
Participatory Research by OSI
Participatory Research consists of real research projects conducted by scientific volunteers, both young and adult. Anyone can become a scientific volunteer, regardless of prior knowledge or skills. Through OSI’s specialized educational tools, our science educators guide these volunteers to acquire the involvement and skills necessary to contribute meaningfully to a research project. These projects are organized by themes within various Programmes. Programme Managers are responsible for ensuring the progress of these projects, establishing collaborations with academic research institutes, and maximizing the impact of the collected data.
Education : Driving the Sustainable Development Goals
At OSI, we believe empowering individuals with responsibility for Sustainable Development requires science education, scientific reasoning, and connection with Nature. The rise of extremism and society’s slow response to environmental challenges highlight the urgent need to cultivate critical thinking through science practice. We also place great importance on fostering responsibility and autonomy so citizens, both young and adult, can act as change agents and leaders in realizing the future they envision.
You can find the slides below in the documents attached to this page.
|
|
|
|
| Participatory Research : Driving Education and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals |
Since 1992, OSI has been developing Science Education and Citizen Science projects and launched the first Participatory Research Stays in 2004. The NGO holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations.
- Clic pour élargir
Actions and Impact
- Clic pour élargir
Some Examples of Our Current Successes
- Clic pour élargir
Types of Operations
Participatory Research goes beyond traditional research.
To make Participatory Research a reality, OSI embraces a powerful approach that reaches citizens where they are, using activity formats familiar to them. By doing so, OSI can engage as many people as possible, in meaningful ways. This approach includes :
- all conditions of Scientific Research (managed by the Research and Science Education Programmes of the NGO),
- Eco-Solidarity Travel formats (Citizen Science Clubs, Meaningful Travel, Responsible Tourism for Sustainable Development) (supported by the Sustainable Development Pedagogy and Logistics Programmes of the NGO),
- involvement of as many citizens as possible, either directly (participation in our Citizen Science projects) or indirectly (group involvement supported by third-party funders (foundations, EU) or regional leaders) (managed by the Participatory Development Programmes of the NGO).
It becomes clear that Participatory Research activities are more than just research or travel ; they create a unique format allowing participants to Give and Act, in the service of a real and impactful project directly linked to Sustainable Development solutions.
On the Ground
OSI is an Open Source and Royalty-Free platform.
Any government agency, association, NGO, or other organization interested in joining the platform can register to benefit from it.
Active across all continents and with over 25 years of experience, OSI organizes, among other things :
- At the Operational Level :
- Numerous Participatory Research Stays, across all scientific fields and languages (www.Science-Camps.com)
- The establishment of Local Groups in cities, regions, and countries that request them, which results in job creation and engages thousands of children, youth, students, and adults in global change (Procédure simplifiée pour créer un groupe local OSI dans votre pays)
- Support for governments, NGOs, associations, and public or private laboratories wishing to develop Citizen Science at the highest level.
- Continuous training for over a thousand Science Educators (http://www.science-educator.com/)
- At the Institutional Level :
- The International Annual Conference on the Rights of Nature at the United Nations each year since 2012, where active governments and citizen networks engaged in Nature Rights gather (http://www.osi-genevaforum.org/).
- Since 2016, OSI has organized the International Annual Conference on Citizen Science and Participatory Research at the UN General Assembly, creating an international space for stakeholders to connect, share, and advance the field (http://www.osi-genevaforum.org/).
