S1E38 P&P Ishara Sahama chats about how to conduct community engagement that's beyond a tickbox exercise

This People & Projects episode features a discussion between Wendy and Ishara Sahama, who met at the Asia Pacific Bike Riding Conference in Brisbane. Ishara talks about her role as a co-founder of the startup Echo Impact Group, working on the social impact of cycling infrastructure. The conversation delves into community engagement, the importance of grassroots movements, and how community views impact urban planning and infrastructure development. Ishara explains her expertise in human geography and community organizing, emphasising the need to integrate lived experiences into decision-making processes. The conversation also touches on the challenges of car dependency in urban areas and the importance of collaborative efforts in building sustainable community engagement.

Ishara Sahama suggested these readings and supporting materials to further your understanding of what it means to centre and listen to community:

• Decolonising and critical approaches to community arts: centering relationality, communality, and power: https://futurereset.vichealth.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-06/VH_Future-reset_Lit-review_FINAL%5B1%5D.pdf
• Decolonizing Methodologies in Qualitative Research: Creating Spaces for Transformative Praxis: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/16094069211014766
• Decolonizing Community Development Practice: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/communitydevelopmentpractice/chapter/decolonizing-community-development-practice/

You can discover more about Ishara Sahama's work here: www.EchoImpactGroup.org.

On GetAroundCaboCarFree.com.au, you'll see lots of tools and resources to bring more life and vibrancy to your streets and community.