One key component to advocacy and policy development is using methods that are evidenced based, is completing research!

We would like to collaborate with students to support the production of research and data collection and verification of results. This will provide us with prepared datasets that are ready for further analysis. The goal of this project would be to conduct content analysis on social media, for example students will have the opportunity to explore topics related to disability, youth, mental health among other topics of personal interest and will be tasked with searching the topic on a social media and looking at the comments written on particular posts to better understand how the general public perceive many of these issues. Students will create themes, and generate a small research report on their findings.

This will involve several different steps for the students, including:

• Recording, organizing, and verifying data
• Cleaning data to ensure consistency and usability.

By the end of the project, students should demonstrate:

• Understanding of the project and the ways in which we conductive qualitative research!
• Documentation and organization of data
• Verification of data accuracy
• Able to interpret data

Final deliverables should include

• A final report

Students will connect directly with us for mentorship throughout the project. We will be able to provide answers to questions such as:

• Our research projects
• Current understanding of our field of research
• Input on choices, problems or anything else the students might encounter.
• Mentorship opportunity, including access to 1:1 convos with the project manager to discuss self-interests/career goals, and provide any guidance on navigating university, professional fields, or working within advocacy.
• Students will be provided with 1-2 workshops on topics related to disability, and youth; Inclusion; allyship; research ethics.