Mobilising knowledge on newcomers: Engaging key stakeholders to establish a research hub for Alberta

The Newcomer Research Network (NRN) at the University of Calgary is an interdisciplinary community of researchers from the Faculties of Education, Nursing, Arts, Social Work and Medicine who work to advance and advocate for research that will inform intercultural practices supporting newcomers across the University of Calgary and the surrounding communities, nationally and internationally, through interdisciplinary collaborative partnerships.

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Abstract

"As immigration to Canada increases, so, too, do the complexities associated with serving various groups of newcomers, including immigrants, refugees, temporary foreign workers and international students. A range of stakeholder groups, such as grassroots community organisations, immigrant service provider organisations and academic researchers, have developed knowledge about how to best serve newcomers as they integrate into life in Canada. To date, there have been few opportunities for members of these and other stakeholder groups to work together to ensure that the needs of newcomers are being efficiently met. In this article, we describe a multi-step process of reciprocal knowledge engagement involving diverse stakeholders and led by the Newcomer Research Network at the University of Calgary. This engagement has the ultimate goal of developing a knowledge mobilisation hub focused on building capacity in community-engaged research with newcomers. In order to understand how we will reach this goal, this article outlines the efforts, priorities, challenges and important lessons learned that occurred as part of the multi-step process undertaken to establish a knowledge exchange with newcomer communities at its core."

Context

"At the University of Calgary, there has been a concerted effort to develop a strategy that encourages, recognises and rewards work in knowledge mobilisation, knowledge translation and community-engaged scholarship. Termed knowledge engagement, the university defines it as ‘a dynamic and reciprocal process in which multiple stakeholders (including diverse groups such as corporations, community organizations, health and social service providers, academics, policy and decision makers, government, and public at large) come together to address mutually identified problems. The purpose of this deliberate engagement is for the co-creation, synthesis, and application of knowledge and evidence to benefit the community at large.’ It is within this context that the work described in this contribution is currently taking place...

The Newcomer Research Network (NRN) at the University of Calgary is an interdisciplinary community of researchers from the Faculties of Education, Nursing, Arts, Social Work and Medicine who work to advance and advocate for research that will inform intercultural practices supporting newcomers across the University of Calgary and the surrounding communities, nationally and internationally, through interdisciplinary collaborative partnerships. Since its establishment in 2016, the NRN has signed memoranda of understanding with SPO partners, including the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA), Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC) and the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP). The NRN has also put forward a multi-pronged vision, the central aspects of which include:

•  conducting research that is informed and endorsed by newcomer communities and community-based partnerships;
• contributing to cultural understanding as a form of literacy for collaborative and cross-cultural communication; and
• equipping the next generation with respectful and productive human interactions in a multilingual and multicultural society."

Find out more about the Newcomer Research Network (NRN) at the University of Calgary.