My name is Anita David. I have worked for over five years in the realm of community based research and engagement as an advisor, peer researcher, research co-lead, mentor and facilitator. I am also a Lived Experience Strategic Advisor with BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services where I consult on various projects within the organization to ensure the voices of lived and living experience is imbedded throughout the organization. I used to be the Peer Mentor for GetCheckedOnline team where I worked on building the bridge between the researchers and the community and/or people with lived or living experience of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) to collaborate and engage meaningfully in research.
I have created the Researcher’s Handbook -Working Together: Considerations for Engaging Peer Researchers on Projects out of the experiences of my peers (co-authors and contributors) but as well as my own experiences and others in my communities who know what it means to feel valued and/or devalued in the process of engagement. There is much to be learned from all these experiences and so this document is something that busy researchers could easily read and put into action.
I presented Working Together: Considerations for Engaging Peer Researchers on Projects at the Community Based Research Quarterly through the PAN in January of 2021. In 2022, I released the handbook version of the presentation which although is focused on the GetCheckedOnline team, it contains lots of useful information that can be used by anyone working in ensuring safe, respectful and inclusive engagement of people who identify with marginalized communities. You can find a copy of the handbook here: Working Together: Considerations for Engaging Peer Researchers on Projects—A Researcher’s Handbook – DiSHI (dishiresearch.ca).
This post was prepared for PAN’s Research and Evaluation Treehouse by: Anita David,
Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
Anita David, [email protected]; [email protected]