Abstract
This chapter highlights that a clear framework of practice has the potential to position us as agents of social change. Drawing on critical community development praxis, participatory action research (PAR) is where new scholarly knowledge is developed alongside participants as co-researchers. Four stories of PAR projects are described that enable a critical-relational approach to community development and social work education. They document a journey of curiosity, discovery and creativity to garner such in-depth knowledge. The first story, to counteract the worst elements of a commodified education system, increased the well-being, learning outcomes and retention of 43 international students at a university. In response to the significant public health measures implemented during COVID-19, the second story employed a collective narrative practice called the double-storied testimony with 22 university students. It acknowledged their struggles and elicited an alternative story of strength and resilience, as well as the creation of new knowledge and skills for the pursuit of social justice and human rights. The third story, with 33 community-based practitioners, drew from the theory of popular education. Practitioners developed a vision of what a radical community development praxis could look like and the everyday practices to enable a vision for social change. The final story, with 26 women community members, is a collective narrative project applying the creative arts to support story-telling and critical reflection. Employing the arts as collaborative research can touch minds and hearts and, in this case, release renewed connection to and a deeper understanding of women's stories.