How to get involved
How to get involved
Interviews and focus groups
Who can take part?
We will be speaking to people in 4 different countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina.
We would like to hear from you and encourage you to contact us if you live in one of these 4 countries, and have at least one of the following experiences (we understand you may fit into more than one group):
- You work at a university or Higher Education institution (including academic, research, administration, facilities, and or management staff)
- You are a student at a university – you may also have personal experience of SGBV while at university.
- You are an activist involved in campaigns relating to SGBV in HE.
- You are a policymaker working on issues relating to SGBV in HE.
What will taking part involve?
If you decide you would like to be involved in this project, you will be invited to take part in an individual interview (online via Zoom, WhatsApp or in-person/face-to-face) and/or a focus group (online via Zoom or in-person) with others who have had similar experiences or who work in a similar field.
You can choose which activity you take part in – you can choose to take part in both – and you can choose where, when, and how you take part. We will be as flexible as possible and will try to accommodate any access needs.
The interview or focus group will take place with an experienced woman researcher. She will ask simple, open-ended questions, and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. The researcher is interested in your thoughts, experiences, and anything you feel is relevant or important to the topic of SGBV in HE.
If you would like to take part, we will contact you before the interview or focus group to discuss how it will work and to make sure it is safe for you to be involved – this includes ensuring taking part will not have any significant negative consequences for you. We will also make sure you have any support you may need to take part.
If you are unable to participate in an interview or focus group because of concerns regarding your safety or wellbeing, we will try to create alternative more informal opportunities for you to share your thoughts with us, if you would like to.
You can find further information on the participant information sheet and consent form – we will talk about these before you take part.
You can find more information here about the ethics and data confidentiality principles guiding this project.
What support will be available for me, if I decide to take part?
There will be a specialist support provider available during the interview/focus group to provide emotional support, should you require it.
After the interview/focus group, the researcher will conduct a short debrief with you, and you will be given information about organisations offering free support immediately after the interview or focus group.
The researcher will ‘check in’ with you a few days after the interview/focus group to ask how you are doing. If you need further support after the interview/focus group please let the researcher know, so she can signpost you to support from a specialist provider, if you wish.
You can find more information here about the ethics and data confidentiality principles guiding this project.
How to get involved or for more information
Please get in touch if you have any questions or if you would like to talk more about what being involved will entail.
If you’d like to take part in the project, please complete this short form and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please only complete this form if it is safe to do so.
Join our project mailing list to hear about news and upcoming events.
If you would like online gender-based violence support information, you can access Chayn’s global directory of support services, or speak directly to a member of the project team who can help with locally specific info.
If you are in danger, please call the emergency services in your country for immediate assistance.
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Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG)
What is the Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG)?
The Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) is a group of people who have personal experience of sexual and/or gender-based violence, including in higher education settings such as while attending or working at a university. The group has been brought together to provide feedback, reflections, and suggestions to the research team working on the FemIDEAS project.
Why are we forming the LEAG?
The FemIDEAS team are forming this group because we believe people with lived experience of sexual and gender-based violence are experts in their experiences. For this reason, it is essential that we work with them and ensure that they are invited to take an active role in shaping the way this research is conducted. Research is most effective at meeting victim-survivors’ needs when it involves them and works with them at all stages of a study.
How will the group work?
The LEAG will work together to provide their views on key aspects of the FemIDEAS project to ensure that the project reflects the views, interests, and needs of people who have experienced SGBV and to make sure that survivors are at the centre of everything we do. The group is run by the research team who have relevant practice, research and lived experience.
How to get involved
If you are interested in being part of the LEAG, please complete this short form or let us know by using the details shown here and we will send a form to sign-up.
You can find more information here about the ethics and data confidentiality principles guiding this project.
You can find out more information by downloading the LEAG information sheet.
