For several years, the NHS, local authorities, community councils, and planners have recognised the importance of involving those who live in the community in the decisions that affect it, going so far as to say that they are “the ears of the community and [we] give them a voice” 1,2. As a community researcher on the Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing (DesHCA) project, I believe that finding ways to involve everyday citizens in the research and innovation that shapes our world may go even further, helping to develop real answers to big issues like social exclusion, NHS waiting lists, and how we shape our communities.
Getting Involved in Research
When I started my journey as a peer researcher, I was drawn by a fascination with how research could drive meaningful change. For me, it wasn’t enough to simply choose between sitting back or getting involved as a participant—I wanted to be part of the process, to bring my knowledge and expertise to the table, and to take an active role in shaping the solutions to some of the most critical issues facing our communities. I wanted to see the voices of myself and others reflected in the work that affects us, just as it should be reflected in new local plans3, opportunities for co-design or co-production4, and all planned ‘Pathways to Impact’5.
Becoming a Peer Researcher on DesHCA gave me the opportunity to attend meetings and work alongside the team to decide not only what questions we should ask, but how we should ask them, and how we should share our findings with the wider world. I wasn’t just a participant; I was a partner. This sense of partnership made a profound difference. Rather than being an outsider looking in, I felt that my layperson’s perspective helped bridge the gap between academia and everyday life as to help the research address some of the real challenges impacting the wider community6. By sharing my lived experiences and ideas I was not only able to help ensure the project stayed true to it’s goals of producing grounded research, but to help them maintain the voice of older people at the heart of the project. It wasn’t about ticking a box—it was about ensuring our work made a lasting impact.
The Key to Co-production
Of course, genuinely co-producing research with volunteers requires effort from everyone involved. Trust is key. Researchers must invest time in building relationships and ensuring that volunteers feel valued. This means clear communication, timely updates, and acknowledging the challenges that can arise, such as delays in ethical approvals or unforeseen setbacks. These moments can test the partnership, but honesty and openness go a long way in maintaining trust. It is equally important to ensure consistency in engagement and to make efforts to connect with volunteers as people. Volunteers need to see how and where their insights and contributions have made a real difference to the work.
For academics, incorporating co-production from the outset is essential. Engaging community members as early in the process as possible ensures the research reflects real-world needs and priorities. For volunteers, the benefits are equally significant. Being part of the process is intellectually stimulating, socially rewarding, and— should be perhaps most importantly—empowering. It’s an opportunity to learn new skills, meet like-minded people, and contribute to something that matters. This process must include ongoing opportunities for engagement that allow volunteers to bring their expertise to the table in a way that works for them, alongside their other responsibilities in life.
In the DesHCA project, we explored practical ways to ensure ongoing engagement. From creating accessible summaries to hosting drop-in sessions, the goal was to keep the community informed and involved throughout the project. It is important to note that the opportunities for engagement don’t end there, and that there are even more options available for researchers and officials seeking to involve their communities, from collecting insights remotely via specific phonelines, questionnaires, shared noticeboards, to idea ‘trees’ that encourage people to share their views and tips anonymously to foster exchange and understanding7, each one with it’s own pros and cons, each able to be adapted to suit different projects and their goals.
Yet true community engagement goes even further, and so we turned our attention to how we could share and communicate the results with the communities that could use them. Much of the work of the peer researchers and academic team can be found on this website, which represents a vital point of contact between the wider world and the information held by the project.
Our Coproduction Video
The motivation for the video below is part of our ongoing efforts to turn our experiences as volunteers into something ‘real’, tangible, and impactful— our effort to encourage and support the co-productive projects of the future by creating a resource to help them learn from our experiences. We hope that this will allow co-production to flourish, and supporting the creation of new, innovative projects that can ‘pick up where we left off’ instead of starting from scratch. The people in the video are a mixture of the academics and the community researchers on the project, and it gives a realistic view of the benefits and challenges of doing co-production.
Most importantly, we hope the video encourages more academics to engage with their communities, and more volunteers to step forward to take part, because good co-production is about more than just sharing ideas; it’s about creating lasting impact together.
For anyone considering volunteering or incorporating community researchers into their work, I can only say this: do it. The rewards—for individuals and for society—are invaluable.
1 https://www.midlothianview.com/news/gorebridge-community-council-could-end-without-support
2 https://www.gov.scot/news/funding-for-libraries-to-re-open/
3 https://www.gov.scot/publications/circular-1-2022-local-place-plans/
4 https://involve.org.uk/resources/methods/co-production
5 https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/do-engagement/funding/pathways-impact
6 https://towardsagoodlife.org/
7 https://www.midlothian.gov.uk/news/article/3215/midlothian_librarys_tree_spreads_kindness
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