By connecting NorQuest College researchers and capabilities to the community, we create and develop new concepts, practices, and opportunities to strengthen community ecosystems and provide solutions for social change.
Whether it is working with community agencies and government to navigate the complex landscape of community and social needs, working with communities to build social and economic capital, or engaging Alberta's diverse population to develop new solutions to local and provincial challenges, NorQuest researchers have the experience and desire to make a difference in the communities we serve.
Below are two examples of community-based, partner-driven research projects that are having a positive impact and creating transformational change and social empowerment.
Improving Mental Health Awareness and Social Service System Navigation for African, Caribbean and Black Communities in Alberta
This initiative is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through a Community College Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grant.
- Project lead: Viola Manokore, PhD
- Project director: Jennifer Mah, MN
- Student research assistants:
- Past: Maribel Funes, Diana Ramirezi, and Rudo Mapanga
- Current: Rachel Amani, Rahima Adams, and Aya Heba
- Funding dates: 2022-2025
- Community partner: Ribbon Rouge Foundation
About the project
Mental health issues and illnesses have a significant impact on the overall well-being of Canadians. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) estimated that within a given year, about 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental health problem or illness. Consequently, the economic cost of mental health in Canada is estimated to be about $50 billion per year.
Research has shown that African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities are six times more likely to have mental health issues as compared to most of their Canadian counterparts. ACB communities typically seek mental health support when it’s too late and they are in crisis. As part of this project, we conducted interviews and focus group discussions with the ABC community to identify the barriers they face when it comes to mental health-related issues. The main barriers identified through this project include language to describe clinical manifestation of mental health issues, stigma (self, systemic, public), and recognizing when to seek help and where.
We are currently conducting community mental health awareness campaigns and developing a toolkit that is being translated into other languages so that the materials can be easily accessible. The awareness campaign materials are being developed in different formats, including text-based, short videos, and in different languages. The project also has a newsletter that focuses on various aspects of mental health and has been written in simple and accessible language.
The intended outputs of this project are:
- A mental health awareness toolkit in different languages
- Short mental health awareness videos in different languages
- A framework for post-secondary institutions to assess issues related to cultural responsiveness in healthcare
The intended outcomes for this project include:
- Improved mental health awareness within ABC communities
- Reduced mental health stigma
- Increased knowledge of the mental health barriers and challenges faced by the ACB community
- Improved mental health support for communities
A Participatory Approach to Building Research Capacity in 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities
This initiative has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
- Project lead: JP Armstrong, PhD(c)
- Project coordinators: Landon Turlock and Juliana Kaneda
- Funding dates: 2024-2028
- Project partners:
- Queer & Trans Health Collective
- Community-Based Research Centre
- HIV Edmonton
- Pride Centre of Edmonton
- Edmonton Queer History Project
About the project
This project, carried out by NorQuest College and the Queer & Trans Health Collective with support from the Community-Based Research Centre, will bring together Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) community members to gain tangible research skills by participating in a capacity-building initiative.
Participants will receive instructions on the principles and methods of community-based research. Additionally, participants will co-create and co-conduct an embedded applied research project alongside representatives from 2SLGBTQIA+ community organizations. Each program cycle will be carried out with a different 2SLGBTQIA+ community organization (i.e., HIV Edmonton, the Pride Centre of Edmonton, the Edmonton Queer History Project) and each research project will be designed to meet a specific need of that organization.
At the end of each initiative, participating organizations will receive a final report documenting the findings of the research project, as well as support scaling up the research project for future funding calls. Additionally, the results of each research project will be shared with local 2SLGBTQIA+ people as part of a social media campaign and a community-facing event.