Learn and Learn (and Learn)

Over the past couple of months, we have been surprised, sympathetic, and most of all humbled by many of the conversations we have had with people who care so much about their community, their children and their shared future. It has been a great experience being able to record these interviews, and we are working very hard to produce a final set of videos that will hopefully do justice to all the individuals who participated and the communities whom they represent.

While we feel we accomplished one of our goals of learning more about different communities across Cook County, we were also striving to make this project a learning experience for local community residents whom were working with us as neighborhood ambassadors. Early on, we decided one of the main things we were going to work on was interviewing techniques. In the intervening weeks, we also practice some technical skills in handling video and audio equipment. In addition, we became subjects of the interviews ourselves as you have witnessed in this very forum. In this week’s post, Ellie and Rose describe below what they have learned through the VideoVoice process:

But the “learning” does not stop there. In a VideoVoice project, there are actually three areas in which knowledge is gained. As we mentioned before, VideoVoice first affords you the opportunity to learn more about the community. This is particularly helpful for researchers who might be somewhat unfamiliar with the history, background and cultural values of the selected community. Second, VideoVoice provides participants with interviewing skills and an understanding of video production. Finally, VideoVoice aims to share what we learned with the public in general through a final video product. The goal being that the community gains a deeper understanding of our message in their own words. We are anxious to see the end result in the upcoming year.

Happy New Year and look for our next update in 2012!

With a Smile on Our Face

Fresh from one of our last interviews in the community, coincidentally on the first day with fresh snow on the ground, we keep reflecting on what we have learned over the past couple of months as we conducted our VideoVoice project in Cook County. We have interviewed some people who have been really open in telling us how they feel about the National Children’s Study and its goals. Over and over again we have heard from parents, school teachers, community leaders, healthcare professionals and others that the NCS presents a unique opportunity to improve the health of our children. While most people seem to understand the importance of the Study, they are also keenly aware of some of the perceived barriers to participation, whether the length of the Study, the number of interviews per year, language issues, and privacy concerns, among others. However, people we interviewed have been extremely thoughtful not only pointing out some of these issues but also providing their own recommendations on how to overcome them.

If you look back at our first post, we explained that a VideoVoice project like ours seeks participation from community members, strengthens and builds upon those relationships, and mobilizes people to action. It is fair to say that we have been overwhelmed by the level of participation of our community partners and community residents, and as we compile all the interviews for our final video, you will see that people really let their voices be heard. Our call to action will come soon when we release our final product and ask you to help us distribute it widely.

In this week’s clip, one of our neighborhood ambassadors reflects upon interview styles. When conducting VideoVoice interviews, our aim has always been to create a relaxed environment where the interviewee feels comfortable and even forgets that there is a camera and a microphone pointed at him or her. We have accomplished this by interviewing people in their own setting, whether their own home, office, or out in their community. We also practiced how to ask questions in a calm voice and friendly manner. In addition, we assure interviewees that they do not need to prepare prior to the interview. If someone asked to see the questions we will be asking, we have sent a list of the types of questions we ask; while keeping in mind that our intention is to have a frank and honest conversation with them. Have you ever interviewed someone who never smiles? Neither have we.