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The University of Winnipeg

About Us

The CBRTC is a joint project of the Manitoba Research Alliance and the University of Winnipeg Research Office, that works to raise awareness of, facilitate opportunities for, and build skills in community-based research (CBR) especially for students. Our objectives are to:

  1. Provide free skill building opportunities on topics such as collaborative research design, participatory data collection, actionable knowledge mobilization, and other relevant and requested skills;
  2. Provide a point of connection for those interested in CBR to meet likeminded individuals whether they are students, faculty, or community members;
  3. Support those interested in CBR, especially students, to feel confident applying for, working on, or integrating their work into CBR projects.

The CBRTC achieves these objectives through three key pillars:

  1. Regular free online and in-person programming. Since 2020 we have offered dozens of free events ranging from lunchtime lectures to multi-day Summer Institutes. Topics have ranged from Conducting Systematized Literature Reviews to Decolonizing Research and CBR. You can find a list of upcoming sessions by clicking here.
  2. Collecting and sharing public resources and tools. We maintain a small database of relevant websites, videos, and toolkits for those interested in CBR which can be found by clicking here. We also record and archive sessions where appropriate. A full list of past sessions and, if available, recordings can be found by clicking here.
  3. Outreach to classrooms. The CBRTC offers short outreach sessions to undergraduate and graduate classrooms. This ranges from informal presentations on the CBRTC to one-hour introductory workshops on CBR. To book an outreach session please contact the CBRTC Program Assistant.

The CBRTC collaborates with a range of scholars, community organizations, and students to offer sessions that bring a wide variety of experiences, perspectives, and understandings about what it means to conduct community-engaged research. As a starting place however, the Community-Based Research Training Centre focus is on what MacKinnon (2018) describes as “community-based participatory research (CBPR) with an eye toward social justice” (p.3). For us this means focusing on five key components in CBR: 1) research projects that are community-driven in their design and goals; 2) research projects prioritizing community participation and the bridging of community and academic skillsets; 3) research projects that are action oriented with a focus on contributing to social change or transformation; 4) research projects evolving from or sparking meaningful and reciprocal relationships that extend beyond the bounds of a single project; and 5) research projects with a critical orientation that recognizes and challenges systemic oppression. 

MacKinnon, S. (Ed.). (2018). Practising community-based participatory research: Stories of engagement, empowerment, and mobilization. Purich Books.

History of the CBRTC (click to expand)

The Beginning

The Community-Based Research Training Centre (CBRTC) began as an idea while the Manitoba Research Alliance (MRA) was applying for a 7-year Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for 2020. The MRA proposed earmarking a significant portion of the budget to support student and community researchers. In response, SSHRC reviewers suggested the MRA could strengthen the proposal by increasing the training opportunities, especially for students. Based in this seed, the CBRTC emerged as a method to provide training for students, community researchers, and anyone else interested in CBR. Due to its diverse connections and central location, The University of Winnipeg was proposed by the MRA as an ideal site for the CBRTC, and they received enthusiastic support from the UWinnipeg Research Office. A commitment to establishing the CBRTC was included in the full MRA proposal, which was successful in attaining the 2020 award. This culminated with the CBRTC publicly launching in November of 2020 despite the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

2020-2022

Initially co-led by Dr. Shauna MacKinnon and Dr. Jeannie Kerr, with programming assistance from Dagen Perrott, the CBRTC offered 15 sessions between November of 2020 and July of 2022. The vast majorities of these events were offered remotely. Despite the challenges of working virtually, this did provide an opportunity for the CBRTC to establish a foundation and network of connections with a wide range of CBR practioners. During this time the CBRTC was able to reach hundreds of participants and share its work through recorded webinars which can be found here. The CBRTC also launched outreach programming on CBR for post-secondary classrooms. These sessions facilitated by Dagen Perrott provided the CBRTC important opportunities to reach new audiences.

2022-2024

As the slow transition to in-person programming occurred the CBRTC underwent several shifts in leadership starting in 2022. Dr. Jeannie Kerr took a job on the west coast and the CBRTC was lucky enough to have Dr. Julie Chamberlain step in to replace her as the co-lead of programming. As well over the next year long standing Steering Committee members Nadya Alahakoon and Andrée Forest would both take on new jobs that shifted their focus away from the CBRTC. In her new role as MRA Project Coordinator, Jess Klassen joined the Steering Committee. Despite the transitions, the CBRTC was able to expand its programming and outreach continuing to reach hundreds of participants. On top of the existing programming, the CBRTC also launched its incredibly successful annual Summer Institute on CBR. Finally, partnering with the Inner-City Work Study program, the CBRTC was able to hire Kayleigh Russel and work with Kerniel Aasland to provide further training and support for undergraduates working in the inner-city community of Winnipeg.

2024 and Beyond

The CBRTC is incredibly grateful for the network of passionate individuals who have made our programming and centre such a success over the past few years. As we look to the future we are excited to continue to grow and build upon our existing foundation.