What do we even mean by ‘research’?
We understand research as a process of carefully thinking about a subject in detail to better understand something and reach a useful conclusion. This can take many different forms, including a conversation, an art project, a community event or anything that helps people understand the needs of individuals and communities. We don’t believe it can only happen in universities or that it has to be led by people with professional research qualifications – anyone can do research. We feel strongly that working with communities from the beginning stages of research is essential for it to be meaningful and relevant.
This survey, for example, has been collaboratively designed by a group of grassroots community members and researchers, to make sure that the questions hopefully feel as relevant and appropriate for communities as they are to researchers. The answers will then be analysed by the community members alongside the researchers, to ensure that the conclusions being made from the results will also feel meaningful and useful to the communities, as well as to potential researchers and policy-makers.
The collaborative research team will then write up a paper together, so that the conclusions can be shared with as many people as possible, and so that future research can be designed with your feedback in mind.
how will filling in this survey change anything?
You can find out more about this process, and see previous examples of how surveys like this have helped change the way people do research, provide mental health care and support or even think about policies around rural mental health itself.
(221) How researchers improve their research through involving diverse communities - YouTube
Mental Health Research - Why co-production is so important (youtube.com)