How can I check if the partnership is meaningful and collaborative?

Heather Gainforth Prof. UBC

This video provides a framework for assessing whether or not a partnership is meaningful and collaborative.

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LSQ Version - Quebec sign language
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My name is Dr. Heather Gainforth, and I am an associate professor at the School of Health and Exercise Sciences on the unseated territory of the Syilx Okanagan People at UBC Okanagan. When I’m reflecting on my partnership process, I like to use principles to help me understand whether or not I am engaging people in a meaningful way. In my own work in spinal cord injury, I use the “Integrated knowledge translation guiding principles” for conducting and disseminating research in partnership with people with spinal cord injury. And I use each of these eight principles to reflect on my process and think about what’s working, what’s not working, and what I can do differently, rather than worrying about if I’m making a mistake or if I’m acting perfectly. Instead, I think about a process of self reflection where I try to think about for each principle. Do I have a green light? Do I have a red light or do I have a yellow light? If it’s a red light or a yellow light, I need to check in on that principle. I need to check in with my partners, reflect on my process, and adjust. If it’s a green light, the principle and the partnership can continue on as needed. When I’m thinking about any of those yellow or red lights and I’ve made a mistake, one of the key things I do is I own it, I’m accountable to it, and I apologize when I’ve made mistakes. It’s not about being perfect. When we’re thinking about partnership, it’s more so about being self reflective, iterative and holding us ourselves accountable, so that we can act with integrity in each of our partnerships.