BY: MIWAKO CHANG
Research plays a key role in the development of projects, as it lays the foundation for new proposals. The Jane Finch Community Research Partnership (JFCRP) is a collective of community residents, organizations, and York University partners seeking to strengthen research relationships between the Black Creek/Jane-Finch community and their institutions.
The JFCRP is working towards this goal by establishing the Jane-Finch Research Advisory Board, a body to review, approve, and support research proposals involving the Jane-Finch community. The objective is to strengthen ethics and increase community engagement in the research process through coordinating participation, encouraging community input, and advocating for residents.
The organization has created a working group of residents to establish the guidelines and systems for the Jane-Finch Research Advisory Board. This includes group structure, ethics approval form and criteria to allow proposals to be conducted in the community, funding model, and more.
The JFCRP has created the “Principles for Conducting Research in the Jane-Finch Community” (2020), as well as 7 Online Research Training Modules to strengthen relationships between the community and research in the community and ensure respectful and ethical interactions and use of resident perspectives and knowledge.
The organization also aims to create educational resources for researchers that support and enhance projects and allow for the collection of information ethically and respectfully. The Jane-Finch Research Collection is a database containing research about Black Creek/Jane Finch, an initiative to ensure access to community members and researchers worldwide with an approach that aligns with residents’ needs and perspectives. The collection includes 87 journal articles, theses, dissertations, and other academic research regarding the Jane-Finch Community, 39 of which are currently fully accessible. The public database will allow academics and residents to better understand the community, use the information to establish and revise research goals, and ultimately improve policy outcomes for the community.
From advisory groups to educational resources, the Jane-Finch Community Research Partnership (JFCRP) is one of many organizations working hard to advocate for residents. For more information, visit janefinchresearch.ca.