Though the task ahead seemed daunting, Jessica Gauvreau did her part to address complex poverty in Niagara, 10 seconds at a time.<\/p>\n
Gauvreau and her classmates recently took part in an experiential education project in the Engaging the Sociological Imagination course (SOCI 4P00), which saw the St. Catharines native conduct a confidential interview with the leader of a local organization that received funding for the purpose of poverty reduction.<\/p>\n
To ensure maximum accuracy in their transcribed document, Gauvreau and her partner, Jordan Sider, reviewed the recording from their 45-minute interview in 10-second increments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to make sure we got every word correct,\u201d she said. \u201cWe knew we were representing Brock and that gave us a sense of ownership we haven\u2019t felt with other assignments.\u201d<\/p>\n
The transcribed interviews the class conducted are part of Brock\u2019s wider efforts to evaluate the impact of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative (NPI)<\/a> and will aid the University\u2019s research team as it offers recommendations going forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThe research team was interested in learning about the outcomes of the funding over time,\u201d said course instructor Mary-Beth Raddon, Associate Professor of Sociology.\u00a0\u201cThe students have created a dataset of 22 in-depth interviews this year, a task that could not have easily been done by the research team.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with assisting internal and external research efforts, Gauvreau said the project prepared her to pursue new roles in a career focused on advocacy.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time I get to develop connections with people in the community who are advocating for others is very meaningful to me and helpful,\u201d she said. \u201cI really enjoyed the process, and this adds something new to my resum\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n