The People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma project (linked to the BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index project) is looking for two community members from British Columbia to join the research team as Peer Research Associates.
Are you someone with lived and living experience of HIV? Are you passionate about your community? Are you interested in the strengths and resilience of people living with HIV and what makes services work well for them?
The BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index is a community-based research study, linked to the international People Living with HIV Stigma Index. It is designed by and for people living with HIV and led by people living with HIV (PLHIV). This study explores PLHIV’s experiences of stigma and supports the development of stigma reduction initiatives.
People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma is a qualitative research project looking at the strengths and resilience people living with HIV have when dealing with stigma and discrimination, as well as what makes services work well for people living with HIV. The study is particularly interested in how different aspects of services can help people living with HIV build and bolster their own strengths and resilience when dealing with stigma and discrimination.
The research team is looking for people who share similar life experiences to participants. This means that you have lived and living experience with HIV. People with first hand experience are an essential part of the research project, providing valuable insight into the analysis and sharing of findings from the People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma project.
* One responsibility of this position will be participating in and completing the Stigma Index KTE training for Peer Research Associates offered by the CIHR Centre for REACH in HIV/AIDS (REACH). Please scroll to the bottom of this posting to learn more about this training. We encourage applicants to review this information and assess their interest in completing this training before deciding to apply.
If you are interested in learning more about research and People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma and you feel you meet the job description below, please get in touch to tell us about yourself!
It is important to note that at this point due to COVID-19 work will be done at a distance using our computers for meetings and communication. While necessary training will be provided, applicants should be somewhat comfortable doing work on the computer.
Job Type: This is a temporary, part-time position that consists of 7.5 hours/week, with an anticipated start date of December 1st and ending in March 2021.
Pay: Peer Research Associates for People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma are part-time staff at the Pacific AIDS Network. The salary for this position is $750 a month (two pay periods per month, bi-weekly) before all deductions are applied.
Job Location: Two Peer Research Associates will be hired around the province of BC and will work as a team from various locations using teleconference, videoconference and other methods as necessary.
Reports To: The Evaluation Coordinator and Community-Based Research Coordinator with the support of the Director of Evaluation and Community-Based Research at the Pacific AIDS Network
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Actively participates in training program that includes:
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- Preparatory self-study work
- Successful completion of training sessions (on videoconference and in person if COVID-19 restrictions allow)
- Successful completion of peer research associate training offered by the CIHR Centre for REACH in HIV/AIDS in January (on videoconference) – estimated 43 hours total over 7.5 weeks
- Attends meetings of BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index study team (held via Zoom approximately once a month).
- Supports data analysis from People with Lived Experiences’ Strengths in the Face of Stigma, supports the writing of recommendations and sharing of findings, including thinking through what kinds of ways would be the best for sharing (knowledge translation) and helping to develop these sharing pieces
- Creating knowledge translation products and/or events
- Participates in regular check-ins with the Evaluation Coordinator and CBR Coordinator
- This position will involve time spent working on your own as the research team lives in different places across BC. Communication will often be online through email, video conferencing and on the phone. We will work with you to learn the best way to work together on these platforms.
Qualifications
- A person with lived experience with HIV
- Basic computer skills (e.g., comfortable using a computer, typing, sending emails, and accessing the internet).
- Ability to work on your own and as part of a diverse team, to be a team player and to communicate needs and work through challenges in a constructive and respectful way.
- Past experience and/or interest in research or evaluation would be welcome.
- Past experience and/or interest in working with people with lived or living experiences with HIV would be welcome.
- Compassion and understanding towards issues related to diversity, inequality, stigma and discrimination.
- Passionate about learning.
- Passionate about your community.
- Fluent in English with strong oral and written communication skills.
- Average (or above) literacy skills (e.g., reading, comprehension, writing).
- Excellent time management and organizational skills.
- Flexibility in working hours
Past experience working as part of a research team is a benefit, but it is not required and training will be provided as part of this position.
Application
Please email your answers to the following questions to [email protected] You are welcome to attach a resume, but it is not required.
The deadline for applications has been extended to November 27, 2020.
- Do you live in British Columbia? We would like to hire two Peer Research Associates who live in BC.
- Tell us about yourself! (Some questions to think about when answering might be “what do you think are your best qualities and gifts?” “How do you like to spend your time?” “What would you want others to know about you?”)
- Please describe your interest and/or experience with any or all of the following (these don’t have to be work experiences! Please feel free to answer in whatever way makes sense for you).
- Community-based research and/or evaluation
- Services for people living with HIV
- You are welcome but not required to describe the communities and/or lived experiences you identify with (HIV, hepatitis C, person who uses drugs, etc.)
- Please indicate how you would like to be contacted: email address or phone number. The Research Coordinator will be in touch once they receive your application.
* REACH Stigma Index PRA KTE Training Description and Information
Our goal is to prepare peer researchers to work effectively in KTE using lived experiences to innovate the dissemination of HIV Stigma Index results. One area of research where peer researchers have historically been left out is learning about and working with quantitative data. This has made it sometimes challenging for peer researchers to talk about and present data which is a crucial part of the knowledge translation process. In a supported environment of shared learning, we hope to bridge this gap using well-structured agendas that cover a wide range of topics and hands-on learning experiences. While the focus is on the presentation of quantitative data we will incorporate qualitative data where appropriate.
The training will take place in 4 consecutive phases over 7.5 weeks. The exact start date will be set after consulting with the Stigma Index coordinators and selected peer researchers. We hope to begin early January 2021. The training will be divided into four distinct phases:
Training Phases:
- The Basic Mechanisms of HIV Stigma
2 sessions over 1 week = 4hrs + 4hrs homework
- Understanding and Working with Quantitative Data
4 sessions over 2 weeks = 8hrs + 3hrs homework
- Developing a Core Presentation w/ Regional Highlights
5 sessions over 2.5 weeks = 10hrs + 5hrs homework
- Online Presentation Skills & Utilizing Social Media for KT & Maximum Impact
4 sessions over 2 weeks = 8hrs + 1hr homework