PLEASE NOTE: THIS STUDY IS NOT YET UNDERWAY
COMMUNITY
in Conversation
SOCIAL INNOVATION RESEARCH ABOUT SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Research Context
People who have been sexually assaulted by other people often become engaged in a spectrum of multidisciplinary services.
While the work that they do is commendable, multidisciplinary professionals working in sexual violence experience inter-professional conflict -- conflict that is known to negatively impact service coordination and decrease productivity and job satisfaction.
How can this conflict be mitigated and reduced?
By beginning — simply — with conversation.
Research shows that multidisciplinary groups benefit from opportunities to engage and exchange with one another outside of the high stakes context of cases.
Sexual violence research on multidisciplinary teams demonstrates that when engaging in “lower-stakes conversations, teams have the opportunity to delve deeper and explore how team members engage across disciplines.”
Creating space for conversation outside of case-related work can “build teams that honour and respect professional differences.”
Professionals working in sexual violence
who create space for cross-disciplinary conversation outside of work “experience less conflict and are more likely to see positive benefits as a result of disagreements.”
This is Research?
The study is simple. The objective is to invite and facilitate cross-disciplinary conversation to promote community building and collaboration among sexual violence professionals.
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You are invited to participate in these conversations where knowledge in various forms – professional training, academic, working experience – are all welcome and valued. . . not despite this diversity, but because of it.
Moylan, C. A., Lindhorst, T., & Tajima, E.A. (2017). Contested discourses in multidisciplinary sexual assault response teams. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(1), 3-22.
What
Happens in It?
What Does Participation Look Like?
Your participation in these activities and your reflections about them are what constitute the research. The outcomes of the study will be available to you.
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If your work in some way involves working with sexual violence, please join us,
once a month (for 6 months), on a Friday, from 10am to 1pm, starting on September 28, 2018. If you know others working in sexual violence, invite them too!
Click the mug (or click here) to see dates, register, and share this information.
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Some perks to make note of:
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Your parking will be paid for.
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Coffee/tea, morning snacks, and a full lunch will be served.
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All gatherings will be held in the architecturally stunning, $40-million dollar
Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning located on the University of Calgary campus.
Click the map (or click here) for a printable location and parking map.
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In these gatherings, sexual violence professionals across disciplines will gather to literally and figuratively break bread. This is not your average research program.
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Each of the six gatherings will involve creative and playful facilitated exercises. What does that mean? Think Hollywood Game Night meets innovative networking meets having a drink with someone you might feel worlds apart from.
These exercises will be followed by lunch and a visually constructed, collective review of the morning's activities. You will receive a copy of these visuals.
The trajectory of these conversations will lead into the collaborative envisioning of next steps in teaching and learning about sexual violence.
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The purpose of this research is to mitigate conflict, dismantle silos, and create the foundation for improved knowledge sharing practices across the spectrum of professionals doing sexual violence work in the local community.
Palmer, P. J. (2005). The Community of Truth. Open Questions: Readings for Critical Thinking and Writing, pp. 627-636.
Why Conversation?
As a sexual violence researcher, I've held dozens of interviews and focus groups with professionals working with sexual violence. These conversations have created opportunities for people to think and talk about how they think and talk about sexual violence personally and professionally.
Almost always, people remark that they've never had the time or occasion to reflect in this way, and how valuable it is to do. They consistently say how helpful it would be if there were more opportunities to have these conversations, and within multidisciplinary groups.
This study responds to that interest -- and to research that calls for these conversations to improve collaboration, job satisfaction, and service provision -- by creating space for more conversations of this sort.
Conversation...To Get at What?
Researcher + Facilitator
Dr. Kiara Mikita is a creative educator and researcher who has lectured and taught at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and in the broader Calgary community. Kiara has also produced creative work and research for the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS). Her doctoral work critically examined how people talk about men’s perpetration of sexual assault against women. Kiara’s course, “Talk About Sexual Assault,” that explores how talk about sexual assault plays a significant role in how sexual assault is understood and responded to, was listed as one of the “coolest courses” in Maclean’s Magazine (2017). Currently an Education Development Consultant at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary, Kiara’s research is about promoting and strengthening teaching and learning about “sensitive” or “controversial” topics like sexual violence, community building, and affective teaching and learning practices.
Why Participate?
grow and strengthen
existing resource networks
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be a part of groundbreaking
social innovation research
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contribute to the development of next steps in sexual violence training and research
expand and foster a sustainable collaborative community
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share valuable insights and experiences and benefit from others'
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exposure to evidence-based teaching and learning practices relevant to sexual violence
Click the envelope (or click here) to review the Informed Consent Form for this study.
Copies will be made available during each gathering.*
*PLEASE NOTE | Sexual violence professionals are welcome to attend and fully participate in each gathering, and determine at the end of each session which aspects of their participation, if any, they consent to forming part of the study. This option creates space for participants to be clearer about what they are consenting to. After reflecting upon their participation, this might mean participants will consent to allowing all, some, or no part of their participation to form part of the study. Professionals who attend are under no obligation to consent to being studied. No matter how much or how little of their participation they consent to forming part of the study, all professionals are welcome to attend and fully participate in each gathering.
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CONTACT ME
I really would love for you to participate in this study.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any/all questions you might have!
Dr. Kiara Mikita
Education Development Consultant, Research in Teaching and Learning
403-220-8435 | kkokita@ucalgary.ca
TAYLOR INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
434 Collegiate Blvd, NW | University of Calgary | Calgary, AB | T2N 1N4
Background image retrieved from: https://www.canadianarchitect.com/architecture/taylor-institute-teaching-learning-opens-university-calgary/1003732270/