Borgman, Dean, (2006) “First Steps in Community Research by Internet,” Center for Youth Studies.

 

Overview

Community research involves several phases: browsing Internet sites, using the telephone book and its Yellow Pages, as well as going to the town library, chamber of commerce and town planning office. Many agencies and non-profits have done their own research on your town, so you should check with them first. Finally, you should conduct interviews with key leaders, observers, and young people which can be particularly insightful. To really understand the quality of life in a community, you should talk with those most in need, the homeless for example, to ascertain how that community provides for them.

 

This article provides you with some help in getting started on the Internet:

 

1. Go to (www.census.gov), click on “American FactFinder” on the left, and then type in the zip code of the area about which you want demographic information and press Go. Further data from the latest census can be found on Tables-SFI. In addition you can check out reference maps, zooming in on census tracks or even a particular street address.

2. Type in for Massachusetts (www.state.ma.us) For any other state, e.g. Rhode Island change “ma” to “ri” of California to “ca.”  See particularly Schools and Social Services under SERVICES and Comprehensive Plan under CITY NEWSLINK.

 

3. For further information, Google “City of Boston,” or whatever city and look for maps, city planning, development projects, city hall, planning/redevelopment departments.

 

4. The Annie E. Casey foundation’s Kids Count  (http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/ ) has some of the most comprehensive and accessible data collection on youth in America. You can break the data down nationally, state by state (for Mass go to: http://www.masskids.org/kidscount/index.html ) and by county. Some of it uses the Census data and other data is taken from various private or State agencies.

 

5. Also, you may want to look at this private organization committed to doing community research, based out of Hartford, CT. While they don’t have much research online, they have training materials available online to help you begin doing community research yourself. ( http://www.incommunityresearch.org/about/about.htm )

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION & DISCUSSION

1.       Why do you think community research is important?

2.       How does the internet make it easier and harder to do community research?

3.       What types of community research have you been involved in? What have your experiences been like and what lessons did you learn?

 

IMPLICATIONS

 

1.       Community research is an essential first step in understanding the systems that are shaping the youth culture in a particular region.

2.       While the internet is a quick and easy way to initiate the process, nothing can replace getting out in the streets and visiting organizations and speaking with people.

 

D. Borgman cCYS