Calgary is receiving new mental health services for children, adolescents, and emerging adults. To compliment these new services, we are co-building youth-centered research programs. These programs will allow researchers to work with children, adolescents and emerging adults to improve knowledge and treatment of mental health concerns. It is important to partner with youth and emerging adults while we co-develop these programs to ensure research, and research results, include their voices.

We are inviting youth and young adults, ages 14-26, who have lived/living experiences with mental health concerns to join our team and share their essential perspectives to advise on and co-develop research projects that are part of these new initiatives.

Your role will be to join our team as a youth/young adult research partner and share your insights, input and feedback to different projects to ensure these are relevant and meaningful to the youth they are intended to benefit.

These research programs are anticipated to start quite soon and continue for 5 years. We are looking for commitments of 6 months – 1 year. These terms can also be extended.

As a youth/young adult research partner, you will be asked to share your ideas and feedback once per month in meetings. There might be an occasional second monthly meeting or feedback request.

Meetings will be 1 – 1.5 hours long and hosted in-person around the University of Calgary, with refreshments provided. There is also an option to join in online.

We will likely connect in evenings (after 5PM) or on weekends. We understand that you have important commitments such as school, work, and family.

Your contributions are invaluable and will be honoured. The time you spend developing these research programs can appreciated in many ways such as: an honorarium, volunteer hours, reference letters, or contributions to a scholarship.

We are eager to hear your thoughts on ways we can recognize and acknowledge your essential insights and contributions.

Reimbursement will be offered for any direct costs for collaborating in-person (such as parking).