Collaborative community research dissemination and networking: Experiences and challenges

Main Article Content

Hannah Macpherson
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8046-4603
Ceri Davies
Angie Hart
Suna Eryigit-Madzwamuse
Anne Rathbone
Emily Gagnon
Lisa Buttery
Scott Dennis

Abstract

This article reports on the experiences of a community-university research partnership with young people’s arts organisations that disseminated their collaborative work on resilience at a Research Showcase event held in Cardiff in June 2014. Through interviews with the young people and their collaborators, and critical reflection on our collective experiences, this article identifies some of the challenges and logistical issues that were encountered in the planning and implementation of the creative ‘Resilience House’ exhibit. We argue that the not often discussed nitty-gritty of this work needs to be brought to the foreground to help make collaborative research meaningfully inclusive if ideals of ‘cross-connection’ and a ‘new public knowledge landscape’ are to be realised. For example, we identify the potential developmental benefits to young people (rather simply framed as ‘participants’) of being involved in research dissemination, but that factoring in time, shaping expectations of all contributors, training contributors to speak to the public about their work, ensuring appropriate sub-forums are constructed and attended, discussing different cultures of language and ensuring basic needs are met are key foundations that need to be built on in future collaborative dissemination activity.

Article Details

Section
Practice-based articles (Non-refereed)
Author Biographies

Hannah Macpherson, University of Brighton

Senior Lecturer in Human Geography

Ceri Davies, University of Brighton

Community University Partnership Programme

Angie Hart, University of Brighton

Proffessor of Child, Family and Community Health Sciences

Suna Eryigit-Madzwamuse, University of Brighton

Senior Research Fellow

Anne Rathbone, University of Brighton

Doctoral student, Health Sciences

Emily Gagnon, University of Sheffield

Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, plus Art in Mind Volunteer

Scott Dennis, Boingboing UK

Project manager and senior administrator, Boingboing