Submission ID 118547
| Issue/Objective | Background: Knowledge mobilization (KM) is an interactive sharing of knowledge with researchers and research users, including community members. KM bridges the gap between research and practice, helping ensure that research findings inform health policy, community interventions and programs, and clinical guidelines. Centering youth in KM methodology as community peer-facilitators recognizes youth's unique perspectives in knowledge sharing and use, helping address known challenges to effective KM initiatives -including limited accessibility and relevance to lived experiences. Objective: Co-design KM activities and materials for workshops with youth community members to share back findings from the AYAZAZI study, an interdisciplinary cohort study assessing the intersecting socio-behavioural, structural, and biomedical HIV risk factors among HIV-negative or HIV-status unknown young people in South Africa. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Methods: We leveraged AYAZAZI's 10-year relationship with Project Empower, a local partner organization whose work addresses intersecting class, race, and gender oppression, to conduct KM activities. Project Empower has extensive experience working with community, especially young people from different backgrounds (e.g. informal settlements). We worked with youth peer-facilitators from Project Empower in three meetings to co-design KM activities translating AYAZAZI findings on stress and mental, reproductive, and sexual health. Together we refined key messages and developed tools (e.g., round-table discussions, group mind-mapping), which peer-facilitators co-led to gather youth perspectives on findings, relevance, and next steps for AYAZAZI. |
| Results | Results: This collaboration gave rise to key learnings and reflections from research staff and Project Empower peer facilitators. Co-developing and tailoring KM materials for workshops took time, and we learned that investing time and care into understanding each other's priorities, before co-facilitating KM workshops, was critical to success. Youth peer-facilitators reported benefits from the engagement process, as they had opportunities to understand their lived realities as presented by researchers, and advocate for youth from their perspective. Differences in positionality of researchers versus peer-facilitators, in relation to research subject material and subsequent KM activities, also introduced tensions, which required ongoing reflexivity and co-created approaches to successfully navigate challenges as they emerged. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Conclusion: These learnings and reflections are intended to be useful for research partners engaging with youth in community-collaborations and KM activities within global health settings. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Amanda Rowlands Simon Fraser University Zoë Osborne Simon Fraser University Tatiana Pakhomova Simon Fraser University Kwanele Madondo Project Empower Sthandiwe Mchunu Project Empower Sanele Dlamini Project Empower Ayanda Mthembu Project Empower Bongumusa Gumede Project Empower Sivuyile Khaula Project Empower Angela Kaida Simon Fraser University Laura Washington Project Empower |
