Proposal for a second phase of the programme

Written by Lauren Pyott (Network Coordinator, Science Ceilidh)

22 August 2024

During the summer break, we have been working on a proposal for a second phase of the Community Knowledge Matters programme, and have just submitted an application to the Ideas Fund to extend our infrastructure funding for another 18 months. This will allow us to continue building and strengthening the network, provide more capacity building opportunities for community-led research, and advocating for systems change that values different forms of knowledge, including community knowledge and that of people with lived experience. We should hear if we have been successful by October, with Phase 2 of our programme hopefully starting in January 2025. Your feedback in the network member’s survey has already been really useful in helping us shape this, and we will continue to embed your feedback into the design of Phase 2 as we progress.

The First Phase so far

As part of this proposal we have been reflecting on some of the highlights of the past 18 months.

Here are a few key headlines:

Collectively developed a name for the network (Community Knowledge Matters) and launched this website to share learning, resources and opportunities around community-led research.
Grew our network to over 200 members, including grassroots community members, people with lived experience, researcher, practitioners and policy makers,
holding regular (often monthly) Community of Practices (CoPs), for opportunities for members to build connections, share learning and practice, and to think collectively about the barriers to, and opportunities for, more equitable community-led research.
Introduced community spotlights to provide opportunities for peer-learning and for communities to share their own experiences and insights into community-led research.
Held an In-Person Gathering which brought nearly 100 participants to Inverness to celebrate and build connections around community-led research, including a sharing ceilidh and a chance for us to build further connections on the dancefloor!
Co-developed a ‘Participatory Ethics Toolkit’ with young people in Shetland, exploring ethics from a rights based perspective.
Co-produced a Co-Priority survey on Doing Mental Health Research with Rural Communities, through a working group made up of community members, practitioners and researchers. The survey received an incredible 150 rich responses!
Submitted a collective network response to the Scottish Government’s Democracy Matters consultation, gathering members’ responses to the consultations processes and holding a network conversation to directly discuss how community-led research can enable more meaningful local decision-making.

Proposal for Phase 2

We’ll be sharing more details about our proposal for Phase 2 once we hear back from the Ideas Fund team, but as a taste of what we hope is to come,

we plan to:

Continue holding regular Communities of Practice to allow network members to build connections and peer support.
Expand our community spotlights programme to allow more opportunities for peer learning and practice, with an emphasis on sharing methodologies around community-led research.
Co-analysing the findings from our Co-Priority survey, and disseminating the conclusions through a series of resources, policy briefings and engagement with relevant policy makers.
Further developing the Participatory Ethics toolkit which we have been we co-developing with young people in Shetland, exploring ethics from a rights based perspective.
Holding a series of policy labs to further engage with relevant policy makers to advocate for systems change and to make sure that community knowledge can be better listened to and valued.
Collating, co-producing and disseminating resources and training opportunities that can help build capacity and access to community-led research.
Holding another in-person gathering to bring together network members and all those interested in making community-led research more sustainable and equitable.
Working with partners to develop further opportunities and ensure the long-lasting impact of this work.

November 2024 Update

We are happy to announce that our application to the Ideas Fund to extend our infrastructure network funding for another 18 months was successful! This will allow us to continue building and strengthening the network, provide more capacity building opportunities for community-led research, and advocate for systems change that values different forms of knowledge, including community knowledge and that of people with lived experience. With this funding being granted, Phase 2 of our programme will properly starting in January 2025.

How to Get Involved

Join our network!

To join our network and sign up to the mailing list to receive invites to our network activities and events, please fill out this short form here.

Come along to a community of practice

We host regular online communities of practice sessions, offering people a chance to network and make connections across the sector, find out more about what we're doing and how you can get involved, share peer learning, insights or common challenges, and discuss whatever topics or issues feel important at the time. All are welcome!

Get Involved

If you would like to be involved in helping shape the Phase 2 of our programme, either a community partner or as a member of one of our working groups, please get in touch with the Network Coordinator Lauren Pyott lauren@scienceceilidh.com