By Christina Fletes | Research Fellow
From October 12th to the 15th, the DataCenter, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), Center for Urban Economic Developement (CUED), and workers and staff from Adhikaar in New York, Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA) in Los Angeles, and the Women’s Collective of La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco gathered to create the survey questions for the national survey project on domestic workers.
DataCenter shared information on how to design a survey?from the types of questions to the structure of the survey. We led activities in which retreat participants were able to practice writing survey questions, learn about the qualities of good and bad questions, and dialogue about what they were learning. During group discussions, we came to understand the importance of having each and everyone one of us present. Sometimes while discussing a question we would hear from those with previous survey experience. This helped us understand the effectiveness of the question and the ways in which to modify it. At other times, domestic workers would give us unique input on why a question was confusing or was not getting to the core of the issue.
This week was a testament to why participatory research, like the one the DataCenter engages in, is so important to organizing our communities and pushing for change. We all bring unique experiences, knowledge and expertise.