Community-Based Participatory Research: The Role of Community Outreach Missions in Rural Kentucky

Abstract

This case study is based on a qualitative research project that examined the services provided by a church outreach program in rural Kentucky in the United States. The goal of the project was to better understand how churches in rural areas can positively impact the lives of poverty-stricken community members and to deepen understanding of the people being served by these programs. Through a series of interviews, the hardships experienced by the impoverished residents were demonstrated in their own words. This project also briefly detailed the experiences of the volunteers who run the outreach program, as well as surveys the church members on their views about volunteerism and how the program should be administered. This case study, through the use of examples from the research project, demonstrates the value of face-to-face interviews, ways to establish rapport, note-taking skills, and the need for reflexivity and research modification as a project unfolds.

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