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Paamiut Asasara

Paamiut Asasara - Community mobilization, participation, and joy of living together

The town Paamiut has during the last several decades struggled with alcohol abuse, a high rate of violence, a high suicide rate, and a number of cases of child neglect in the form of sexual assault and other forms of violence against children. Addressing this, the town has adopted and launched a 5-year community mobilization programme, 'Paamiut Asasara'. The programme is based in information collected through interviews and community meetings. The activities are anchored in locally defined values. The overall objective of Paamiut Asasara is to mobilize and strengthen the community to provide well-being and quality of life for all citizens of Paamiut. Furthermore, the programme is informed by the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the WHO defined principles of citizen participation. The development and implementation of the programme follows international guidelines for psychosocial interventions, as well as research-informed recommendations for community interventions and research.

Documentation and research is a core issue in the programme. The aim of the research is - in close cooperation with the municipality and its citizens - to evaluate the impact of the interventions in a continuously and systematically manner. The aim of the research is to provide relevant and applicable knowledge for the development of the programme.

Paamiut Asasara is based on the resources and participation of the local population. It is grown from within the community and is build on the idea of building shared capacities through collective learning, aiming to promote community resilience (and in a broader context social resilience).