Data analysis workshop promotes policy talks with quilombola communities in Tocantins
From June 28 to 30, members of seven quilombola communities in the state of Tocantins attended a Socioeconomic Data Analysis Workshop at the Lajeado Community, in the municipality of Dianópolis. The activity, which is part of the Sharing Worlds project, aims to encourage the use of technology to develop new policy and action pathways with a view towards strengthening the autonomy of those communities.
The workshop is part of a long-term training program. Local youth have already learned to use qualitative and quantitative data search tools (ODK-Open Data Kit), as well as georeferencing and cultural mapping tools. They subsequently carried out extensive household-based surveys, interviewing 600 people from their communities, using a questionnaire designed by the National Coordination of Quilombola Black Rural Communities (CONAQ).
Now, in the latest workshop under the series, participants analyzed their collected data and shared experiences about these processes. This led to in-depth discussions about the communities’ socioeconomic reality and data, their access to public policies, as well as the communities' key demands, all based on evidence. Their studies and discussions also helped them to see themselves as a community and identify potential uses for this information to improve their communities. In addition, they had a chance to explore projects that might contribute to securing their rights.
Celenita Gualberto, local project coordinator at Lajeado, praised the event methodology, which helped bring people of different generations together: "This workshop has offered us a unique learning opportunity, which went much beyond merely acquiring technical knowledge on data collection technologies. It is always encouraging for leaders to see concrete results of the work they have been developing over the years. For our youth, it is a great incentive – their first step toward learning so many new things, new realities that they had no knowledge of. It is a hugely important opportunity. The value of exchanging knowledge across generations is incalculable. Besides, the workshop has helped us scale our future challenges, and also raise awareness about our struggles and needs.”
The workshop is part of the Sharing Worlds Program, an initiative led by ECAM, USAID and Google Earth Outreach, in partnership with CONAQ.