Newham Community Researchers reflecting on their Community Reporting training

Hi. My name is Emily Ahmed. I'm the community peer researcher manager with new and public health and our, uh, community peer research team. Some of us have been today at the community reporting training with not another co production project and people's voices media

And, uh, today we've been learning about how to use community reporting. And this is something that we wanna use in our work. So community reporting is a way of gathering stories, um, from the community from people allowing them and enabling them to share their experiences

Some of that could be using film or audio, um, or photos. Um, but essentially that we're recording and and documenting people's experiences and stories and using that in a way that helps support change or to inform services or policy. Um, and just to ensure that people's experiences and stories are told in their own voices, how do you feel about maybe using community reporting in our work? I think, um, for me, I it's quite a new concept, but it still relates, uh, fits in really well with some of the work that we've been doing

Um and I think it's quite exciting because using different mediums like film audio. Um, and it just It just feels like a bit more of a, um uh, a creative space that we can kind of capture people's, um, uh, you know, feelings and thoughts about their stories. Um, and I think it would be a really valuable tool to use

I don't know. What? What do you think? No, I do think it's available, um, to use as well, Especially since we can't really convert to emotion. Sometimes people talk about the experiences, and then they plan, and then just then they get it out so you can't exist

What do you write? You know, like language is just but its character language. But there once. So sometimes you just see the expressions and emotion

We're speaking about certain things. It captures everything in all the nonverbal cues. You can learn that and you can see it

And you can also reflect that when you when you're needing a we really looking back. Otherwise, you just have to look down to rely on your memory. But if you have actual evidence, also help it up

Sometimes you miss it up on things when you're writing. Yeah, it's really interesting and at that, because it's not just how we're asking, but it's how how we're sharing that, like showing those emotions and showing their voices, like you said. And how do you feel? As as the community researchers people, to maybe go out and do this, how do you feel about maybe using this approach? So filming audio recording while you're interviewing people, How does how do you feel about that? Yeah, however, people be apprehensive about using the video or their voices, and some of them do ask, and they don't want things popping up

So I had to learn to find them the option of backing up any time. But a lot of people got my video. They know that they do it from my personal experience

Yeah, I think, yeah, Like like Krasa said. But then there's also the option of audio recording, and even within your voice, you can really pick up new answers. So you know how their voice is delivered

Um, you know, like it just, uh, just their pitch. Their their pace. Um, how they you can pick up things like, you know, their mood, their emotions

And I think it's, um a really powerful tool. Yeah, either way or audio or or visual, and with visual, you can still pick up, you know, non verbal cues, et cetera. So I think that's, uh, that's really, really useful

And from the conversations we've been having today as part of the training for community research, what's really stuck out for you? What's been the thing that you've thought? Oh, I'm gonna remember that or I find that really interesting or I find it challenging. Like, What's the thing that really stuck out for our conversation so far? No digging, digging That's very hard. It's very hard to know when you're police sent back

You have to think about not to take some. You don't want to go into elaborate further which you have to respect. And then yeah, yeah, I would agree with that as well

No digging. But, uh, I think open ended questions for me is a is a big one because then it can lead anywhere. It's got privacy vehicles people don't want

It's kind of a bit scary. I mean, even I find it's not as scary thinking. Oh, look, which is out there? I was being sketchy, but then? Yeah

So how? We do things ethically and make sure that people feel safe and that there's confidentiality if there needs to be, but also allowing people to share their stories if they feel safe to do so. How about you, Ruby? Anything? Um, any last links with their consent? You know, you you get their consent, uh, writing their consent form. And I think, um, just allowing them to, uh, you know, to understand that if it's a safe space where their stories and their experiences are being shared, um I mean, you know, they do have the option not to not to share if they don't want to

So they have a choice just just laying that out for them just before they start, really? So that they can decide, you know, how much or what they'd like to share. OK, and then what excites you the most? Or what hope do you have for using community reporting data? So a lot of times you don't know information, but if you go around asking about their experience, you might find clues or possible if to find a way out, you find out more information about us going around in your area and what other people have used And, uh, what's what's needed to get answers? We're not looking for mhm. Yeah, I think that's right

And also like, like you say, qualitative and quantitative research. So how how we pull that data, how we kind of sift through, like, you know, read between the lines and just find out exactly what what's been going on. What people's experiences are brilliant

All right. Thank you, guys.