Listen to Learn
We recommend that Research Café’s be held by the community without the presence of a researcher with a research agenda. Research Cafés are designed to be facilitated by community leaders, as a way to support and strengthen communities’ capacity to partner and participate in research within their community. If you are (or anticipate) working with a community on a research project, we suggest you follow the process outlined below:
Identify a community leader that would be a strong facilitator.
Share these resources and work with leader to hold a Research Café with his/her community.
After the Research Café, debrief with the community leader about what he/she thinks and how the findings can be applied to the research project/partnership.
Hold a follow-up meeting with the community and co-facilitated with the community leader, to foster open communication between the research team and the community.
What’s needed for a Research Café
Check out our Researcher’s Guide that provides a model for building trust and reducing mistrust with underserved communities, as well as advice from community members for working with underserved communities.
This guide was co-created with researchers and community leaders in the New Orleans area based on feedback from extensive interviews about attitudes and perceptions toward research.