Which of the following best describes the ultimate goal of COPAR?

The ultimate goal of COPAR, or Community Organizing Participatory Action Research, is to empower communities through active participation. This approach focuses on engaging community members in the entire research process, ensuring that their voices and experiences are central to identifying issues and finding solutions. By prioritizing active participation, COPAR promotes a sense of ownership and agency among community members, enabling them to advocate for their needs and contribute to social change.

Empowering communities not only enhances the relevance and effectiveness of research outcomes but also fosters sustainable development. In this context, it’s essential to recognize that while gathering data, promoting policies, and forming partnerships can be components of community work, the primary aim of COPAR is to cultivate empowerment and participatory engagement, positioning community members as key players in their own development. This fundamentally transforms the traditional research paradigm into one that values collaboration and equity.