Community groups are able to apply for a fully funded opportunity for their members or volunteers to become community researchers for 12 months.
All training and support is provided and funded by University of Reading and the Scottish Community Development Trust. Community researchers are paid for up to 15 hours a week for 12 months and no prior experience is needed.
Last year, four community researchers were supported at Home Start Portsmouth and Hope Portsmouth, producing interesting and valuable insights to support their community work.
Amy Baines of Home Start Portsmouth said: “I really enjoyed being involved in the CPAR programme and learnt such a lot from it. It was a fantastic opportunity for our volunteers to be trained and developed by a really supportive network of professionals. They gained skills to research within their community that they have trusting relationships in. This allows them to gain different types of insights and receive honest feedback and solutions on issues. The opportunity to take this work to decision makers really made this worthwhile in ensuring we make a difference and community voices are heard.”
For this year's application, the invitation is to organisations working with communities adversely affected by health inequalities. If you are interested in finding out more about this year's opportunity click here.
The closing date is Monday 15 July. If you'd like to discuss the opportunity before applying, contact Gail Mann via Gail.mann@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or Sam Belfrage via Samantha.belfrage@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.