Communication, Community, and Representation

Cluster Leader – Jon Corbett

Communication of community knowledge, experiences and perspectives is vital to external recognition and understanding of community values and visions, but also can act as a celebration of these principles within the community itself. Contemporary communication encompasses a range of media – from performance art, through to the use of web-based social media; this growing toolbox of media hold the potential to shape the flow of knowledge between individuals, organizations, communities and government. The capacity to represent oneself is an important component of community empowerment and social change. The Communication, Community, and Representation hub of ICER aims specifically to engage in the praxis (in other words both the practice and theory) of community communication and self-representation. The practice component will support the direct collaboration of researchers from the arts, (digital) humanities and social sciences with members of the community to design, develop, implement and then communicate research projects that are of value in the representation of key community interests and issues. The theoretical component of the hub will develop research projects, agendas and questions that are related to, and emerge from, community-focused communication practice. This will include both academics and community members critically analyzing the transformative impacts of shared programs. Fundamental to both the practice and theoretical components of the hub, members of both the university and the community will act together as collaborators and partners in the proposal design, project implementation and theoretical examination of the research – through to the communication of the results of the research in a way that clearly represents the interests and motivations of all those involved.

Below a student and participant of Dr. Jone’s neuromuscular health and exercise lab go through day to day tasks to help determine adaptive approaches that will help improve quality of life.