Community Resource Handbook
Invitation
Traditional research does not always prioritize community collaboration. Community-engaged research (CER) places academic and community partnership at the heart of research work. Bringing together these partnerships—which include different sets of priorities, experiences and skills—is not a straightforward or quick process. It takes time to build equitable and reciprocal relationships. By allowing communities to co-create knowledge, community-engaged research can build capacity for imagination, and enhance the capacity of communities to advocate for their own well-being.
We invite you to join us in this work and use this handbook to consider how community-engaged research can enhance how to evaluate, describe, interpret and care for our shared world. Our intention with this handbook is to offer readers a practical and accessible guide for community-engaged research. But it is just that: an offering. It is not a definitive guide or a prescriptive checklist. We recognize that the beauty and complexity of many CER projects lie in their unique contexts and imaginative approaches.
It provides a fresh look at why CER matters as we take stock of our roles in a rapidly changing society. This how-to guide walks you through the process of community-engaged research and shows its value to communities and the people working alongside them.
What's in this guide?
This handbook explains key facets of CER, highlighting CER research from ¶ˇĎăÔ°AV.
Inside you'll find:
- Fundamentals and ethical principles of community-engaged research
- Participatory research methods use in CER projects
- Challenges and key considerations of doing CER
- Steps for planning a CER project
and much more!
This handbook explores how co-creating knowledge with communities can build capacity for re-imagination in research. We hope it will also enhance communities' capacity to advocate for their own well-being.
We hope it sparks your curiosity to explore new research horizons.
Who is this guide for?
The Community Resource Handbook is intended for community-serving organizations including, but not limited to, community groups, not-for-profit organizations, public and private foundations, and local, provincial and federal government agencies. It is designed to help community organizations gain a practical understanding of community-engaged research and to provide a guiding framework for developing a CER project.
This handbook can also be useful for students, early-career researchers and anyone who is curious about using research to advance community interests.