Fostering Violence Prevention and Well-Being for Black Women, Families and Communities.

Phase I
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Phase I of our project will include preliminary research tasks, such as conducting a scoping literature review and web scan to understand the existing academic literature, policy reports, and initiatives that focus on domestic violence (DV) in Black communities in Canada. It will also include receiving research ethics approval from the University of Calgary, hiring project staff, and finalizing the research project design. Upon ethics approval, six multi-level and multi-sectoral community consultations in the form of focus groups in both Calgary and Toronto (n=12) will be conducted. The target participant number for each focus group is approximately five to eight  participants. These community consultations are imperative in providing context and building knowledge around DV in Black communities in Canada. A community guidance group (CGG) will be formed from focus group participants, to guide this work. This first phase will also include the development of a project website as a knowledge hub for Black communities and stakeholders. Phase I will conclude with an annual stakeholder report, a community knowledge exchange meeting, and a peer-reviewed article. 

Phase II
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Phase II will consist of in-depth one-on-one interviews, and follow up interviews, with ten Black women and ten Black men from Calgary and Toronto (n=40) who are experts and/or knowledgeable about DV programs and services specific to Black communities. These interviews will focus on proposed methods and frameworks to engage Black women, men, families, and communities in DV prevention and intervention. We will also conduct a second in-process evaluation, develop infographics and peer-reviewed articles, and participate in a community knowledge exchange meeting. Findings for Phase II will be presented at an international symposium and other venues.

Phase III

Phase III of the project will build on learnings from Phase I and II and adapt the Alberta Men’s Network’s Training Program to develop a curriculum to train Black men in DV prevention and transformative leadership. Ten men will be recruited from both Calgary and Toronto to build their leadership capacity to address DV in their respective communities; some of the men from the in-depth interviews will also be invited to co-facilitate training sessions. This phase will largely be focused on supporting Black men as Trained Community Leaders to take on leadership roles in addressing DV in their communities and/or the community at large. Some of the men will be provided support by a mentor and the funds to develop and host a minimum of  three educational events to engage in outreach with other men. These events will include an evaluation component, co-designed by the research team and stakeholders. A third in-process evaluation will be conducted, with findings delivered through a report, peer-reviewed article, and community knowledge exchange meeting. 

Phase IV
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The final phase of the project will include four knowledge exchange focus groups, two in each city, and a full project/summative evaluation of the project findings. Strategies for sustaining the learnings beyond the project’s end date will be developed, including three to five digital stories in each city, which will showcase diverse Black community perspectives on DV prevention. The final summative evaluation will be conducted with the research team, community partners, community guidance groups, and consultants. The results of the evaluation will be shared online and across various public forums, in a report to stakeholders, a community knowledge exchange meeting, and social media. Finally, a peer-reviewed article on DV in Black communities in Canada and effective and best DV prevention practices with Black communities in Canada will be produced and published.