Anurada started getting involved with Foundry back in 2016 and joined Foundry Research in 2020 on The Experience Project. She started as a member of the project’s youth advisory committee, self-named the Youth 4 Youth, before being hired onto the project as a Youth Research Assistant that same year. The experience provided many opportunities for personal and professional development, including specific trainings, such as group facilitation skills and Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility, and experiential learning, including presenting at conferences and co-authoring publications. Youth Advisors and Youth Research Assistants were able to pursue personal interests and to directly inform the research design and delivery.
“…Our work as youth research assistants was very catered to what our interests were. For example, since I was really interested in design and branding, I got to work with [the] communications team to create the recruitment posters for the study, which was so much fun.” – Anurada, Youth Research Assistant at Foundry
Having youth like Anurada on a research project team also improves the research for everyone. “I also gave feedback on the study questionnaires and through that process I recommended doing BIPOC only focus groups. I got the opportunity to facilitate those interviews which was an incredible experience!”
What word comes to mind when describing how Foundry does research? Anurada says it’s “disruptive.”
“I think it’s helped move the perspective away from looking at people as participants and then researchers or like this us versus them thinking and start to recognize that participants, or we people with lived experience, actually want to do the research ourselves. And we have a unique understanding of our own experience and we’re in a better position naturally to ensure that the work isn’t harming our communities and it really reflects our experiences.” – Anurada, Youth Research Assistant at Foundry
Find out more about Foundry.