Introducing the Birmingham & Solihull Community Hub for Engagement in Research Practice (CHERP)

The workshop will be a mixture of presentation and interactive activities. The session will last for 1.5 hours. A brief outline of the workshop structure is detailed below:

Welcome and introductions including icebreaker10 minutes

Outline and aims of session 5 minutes

The journey so far: Presenting the journey of Birch, CHERP and Community research over the past two years.15 minutes

Exercise 1 (in pairs): What does community mean to you?10 minutes

Group Discussion: Community engagement: “Do you currently involve communities/VCFSE organisations in your research, and if so, why do you think it is important? Top three reasons why it’s important.” 10 minutes

‘Being a Community Researcher’: Our CR’s and co-facilitators share their experiences of being recruited, trained and deployed as Community Researchers on health and social care projects10 minutes

Group Exercise 2 (in three groups): Involving communities in health and social care research – designing a methodology. “Imagine you are applying for funding for a new project. In your tables, identify the research methodology or methodologies you would employ to ensure that your research involved the community in a meaningful and impactful way. Present this back as a 2-minute elevator pitch to the funder.”20 minutes

Sharing links (www.cherp.org.uk) to some practical tools and resources

• Community Research Training Programme
• Recipe Book for Community Engagement
• Community Connexions Engagement Toolkit5 minutes

Closing Circle: Go round the room and ask everyone to identify one action they intend to take away from today’s session5 minutes