Curriculum Modules Home ››› Power, Voice, and Decision-Making ››› Community-Defined Research Questions
Resources
Research questions must be defined by the community based on their lived experience, not by academic (or other) funding agendas.
 IRL Podcast |  External Video |  Article |  Book |  Case Studies |  Document |  Slide deck |
Operationalizing Community Engagement and Accountability
Davine Holness of Team Boston talks about one of the promising practices that emerged from their IRL project. They talk about operationalizing by putting the community first. This looks like intentionally engaging with the community on the community’s terms and ensuring that someone from the community is an equal partner, with equal decision-making power, and is embedded in the research team. The research team did not arrive with predetermined questions; they listened deeply to what the community wanted to know and solve.
Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Community
Meeting the evolving needs of the community, Team Boston shares future plans to continue working in a “person-centered, relational way that supports communities and is led by communities.” Sustainability requires flexibility—the willingness to shift when needed, putting the needs of the community first, regardless of changes in funding and funder priorities.
Relationships, Reflection, and Response: An Iterative Collaborative Research Process to Address Mental Health Inequities
This brief illustrates how the team collaboratively designed, paused, and responded to community and societal concerns; redesigned and enacted our research goals; and explains how others might use this process.
