IHW's Community Engagement Officer Susan Grant puts out a call for colleagues to help connect with community organisations and increase the relevance and reach of our research

 Photo of whiteboard with notes about community engagement

As the Institute’s Community Engagement Coordinator working with Prof Sara Macdonald, my role includes engaging with communities around the work of the institute as well as connecting, and increasing the relevance, of the institute’s research to the work of community organisations.

The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) were commissioned by the institute to find out what community groups in the local area and other part of Glasgow would find useful in a community hub in the new Clarice Pears building so it has been great for me to be involved in this consultation and commence my own field work. I hope to update you on in the next Hawkeye edition on the view from community but, meantime, I am appealing for your help this summer in shaping the community hub.

We are looking for colleagues to represent the seven research groups to:

  • participate in an in-person workshop in July 2022 to think about what research which could be beneficial to community, come up with ideas for services and knowledge exchange events and look at how these fit with the consultation so far
  • talk to people within their wider teams to get more feedback on these ideas such as our capacity to deliver them, possible funding streams and external networks who might be interested
  • attend an online or face to face co-production training session in August 2022 with SCDC and external community representatives to help ensure good collaborative working between the Institute and communities going forward
  • attend (or for some of the group to attend) and possibly help facilitate an in-person engagement event in September 2022 to discuss more concrete proposals for the hub.

If you are interested in getting involved, please complete this expression of interest form by Friday 08 July 2022.

The best way to stay in the loop about engagement and impact opportunities, training, funding and events across the university is to join the #UofGEngage Forum mailing list and I would encourage anyone interested in getting involved in the community hub development to complete the UofG’s Public Engagement Forum’s online self-led Community Engagement Course which is useful to set the scene whether you are new to community engagement or are bringing lots of experience.

Susan Grant 
IHW Community Engagement Officer

Complete our expression of interest form 

First published: 22 April 2022

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