Codifying shujaaz inc’s participatory learning research methodologies and building capacity through collaborative learning

Shujaaz Inc aims to develop and document a set of engaging, practical, and research-based ‘how-to’ assets to support health researchers and programmers to work more closely and collaboratively with communities and young people to inform their work. These assets will consolidate approaches and learnings from a decade of Shujaaz Inc's community-based research activities which Shujaaz uses to create compelling persuasive media campaigns that break down barriers for young people in East Africa. The assets will be designed through a rigorous Human Centered Design (HCD) process with young people across Kenya and continually tested and iterated based on collaborative engagements with the ‘end users’ (health research organizations and Social Behavioral Change Communication partners) to ensure the final products are impactful, scalable and replicable. This initiative will be exemplified through practical research termed as ‘GroundTruth’ focused on better understanding and addressing the impact of climate change on youth in East Africa. The main goal is to produce a suite of shareable multi-media ‘how-to’ guides – inspired by Shujaaz’s creative media products including comic book guides and video content. The longer-term impact goal is broader adoption of participatory research methodologies within the health research community and increased community participation in research processes.