We are pleased to announce Raising Voices in Research has been funded by National Institute Health Research Applied Research Collaborative Wessex (NIHR ARC Wessex) to deliver a new project ‘Raising Voices in Research Mentoring’ and we’d love to invite you to apply.
Raising Voices in Research aims to increase under-served communities participation in health research. We believe this is important because if more under-served communities take part in health research, the outcomes are more likely to reflect their needs. You can read more about Raising Voices in Research by clicking this link: Helping to shape research… – Action Hampshire
The focus of Raising Voices in Research Mentoring is to increase VCSE and communities’ knowledge of research and to understand what mental health related research communities want to see. Through delivering workshops and working 1:1 with an allocated researcher, your organisation and community members would work together to develop a research idea based on their mental health research priorities. Read on to find out more!
What will Raising Voices in Research Mentoring involve?
If your organisation is selected to take part in Raising Voices in Research Mentoring, you would be expected to:
- Attend an introduction workshop that includes the Raising Voices in Research VCSE training (April 2025)
- Undertake two workshops with at least 10 of your community members, discussing their needs and perceptions of research and what mental health research they would like to see undertaken (May – July 2025)
- Facilitate monthly meetings with a researcher you have been matched with to develop a research idea/proposal based on the ideas suggested by community members (September 2025 – January 2026)
- Complete an end of project reporting form that details your research proposal (February 2026)
- Complete evaluation activities including a short pre/post project survey (February 2026)
We would provide workshop resources in a Project Information Booklet and allocate a member of the Raising Voices in Research team to your organisation to support your delivery and relationship building with the researcher you are matched with.
Will we be funded to take part?
Your organisation would receive a grant of £3000 to participate in this project. This grant could be used:
- For staff time delivering the project
- To reimburse 10 of your community members for their time attending the two workshops (at a rate of £25 per hour)
- For workshop resources
- For travel expenses to any in person activities related to the project
Is my organisation eligible?
Raising Voices in Research wishes to reach all under-served communities. However, for this phase we are particularly looking for applications from VCSEs who work with:
- Children and young people who are neurodiverse and/or have a mental health condition
- Older adults in coastal communities
- Men with a mental health condition
- Military personnel/veterans
And haven’t taken part in Raising Voices in Research previously.
How do I apply?
If you would like to apply to take part in Raising Voices in Research Mentoring, you need to complete the application form by 17:00 on Friday 7 March.
Follow this link to complete the application form
If you would rather complete this application via telephone, please call Anna on 01962857383 or send us an email anna.miles@actionhampshire.org to discuss other options.
We will inform all applicants if they have been successful or not by Friday 21st March.
Any questions?
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss this opportunity further! You can either call Anna on 01962857383 or send us an email anna.miles@actionhampshire.org and we’d be more than happy to help answer any queries.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this information and we hope you’ll join us for the next stage of Raising Voices in Research!
Best wishes,
Action Hampshire & Partners
