The research project, “Learning from the Pandemic: Bridging the Digital Fluency Gap for Community Leaders” emerged from conversations between Rusa Jeremic, the Centre for Connected Communities (now Catalysts’ Circle) and the grassroots leaders’ network – the Local Champions Network. We discussed how grassroots community leaders in Toronto’s Priority Neighbourhoods (now Neighbourhood Improvement Areas) often did not experience the same level of support as others in taking their important community work online during the pandemic.
In developing the project, we were all firmly committed to ensuring an authentic community-based research model where community leaders had the opportunity to participate in the project in substantive ways that resulted in their own research skill development. Rather than doing research for research’s sake, we also committed to using the data collected towards creating a useful tool – The Grassroots Digital Hub – to offer information, self-directed learning, and other materials to Community Leaders working online.
Through 35 Focus groups and 20 Individual interviews, community leaders input shaped this digital hub. It is a tool for the community by the community!
Learn more about the Project Team and Partners.
