Simulation as a tool for developing knowledge mobilisation strategies: Innovative knowledge transfer in youth services

Michael Ungar,David Phipps,Shelly Whitman,Angie Hart

doi:10.5130/ijcre.v8i1.3676

Abstract

While there are excellent models of knowledge mobilisation (KMb) that address the opportunity for co-production and sharing of best practice knowledge among human service professionals, it remains unclear whether these models will work in less formal settings like community-based non-government organisations (NGOs) where there are fewer resources for KMb. For three days, 65 policy-makers, senior staff of NGOs, mental health professionals, KMb specialists and youth participated in a set of simulation exercises to problem solve how to mobilise knowledge in less formal settings that provide services to children and youth in challenging contexts (CYCC). Based on simulation exercises used in other settings (such as the deployment of international aid workers), participants were first provided with reports synthesising best practice knowledge relevant to their workplaces. They then engaged in an appreciative inquiry process, and were finally tasked with developing innovative strategies for KMb. Observation notes and exit interviews were used to evaluate the process and assess impact. Findings related to the process of the simulation exercises show the technique of simulation to be useful but that it requires effort to keep participants focused on the task of KMb rather than the content of best practices within a focal population. With regard to developing innovative KMb strategies, findings suggest that service providers in less formal community-based services prefer KMb activities that promote one-to-one relationships, including the participation of youth themselves, who can speak to the effectiveness of the interventions they have experienced. Unexpectedly, the use of electronic communication, including social media, was not viewed very positively by participants. These results suggest that the use of simulation to search for innovative KMb strategies and to problem solve around barriers to KMb has the potential to inform new ways of co-producing and sharing best practice knowledge among human service providers.Keywords: simulation, knowledge mobilisation, high-risk youth, community-based mental health, knowledge brokers, barriers to knowledge exchange

Highlights

Knowledge mobilisation (KMb), known as knowledge translation or knowledge exchange, is a process that shares academic research and other forms of knowing with the goal of informing service delivery, community practice and public policy (Phipps & Shapson 2009)
65 policy-makers, senior staff of non-government organisations (NGOs), mental health professionals, KMb specialists, and youth participated in a series of interactive exercises to answer the following questions: 1 What are the barriers to KMb in less formal service settings and in settings primarily concerned with services for children and youth in challenging contexts (CYCC)? 2 What KMb strategies are already working in these settings? 3 Building on the answers to the first two questions, how do we move knowledge of effective practices between service providers?
Process: Successes and Challenges Participants were introduced to the simulation exercise at the beginning of the session with the following instructions: While all organizations working with children and youth need to understand knowledge mobilization, we will be looking at NGOs big and small, and government programs that are strongly community-based

Summary

Introduction

Knowledge mobilisation (KMb), known as knowledge translation or knowledge exchange, is a process that shares academic research and other forms of knowing with the goal of informing service delivery, community practice and public policy (Phipps & Shapson 2009). We build on our experience brokering relationships between research and community-based practice and report on an innovative approach to KMb model development This was a knowledge mobilisation simulation designed to engage service providers concerned with the mental health needs of children and youth who have been exposed to chronic or acute adversity, a population we have called children and youth in challenging contexts (CYCC). Much of this work is performed by non-government organisations which rely on practice-based evidence, either through developing their own program solutions for vulnerable child populations or borrowing program elements from others who have reported success In these less formal contexts where practice-based evidence is more commonly employed as the basis for decision-making, both a lack of resources and social complexity create daily hassles when identifying and delivering effective services and complicate the meta-challenge of figuring out how to mobilise knowledge across service providers. The adversity experienced by CYCC requires service providers to adapt programming to be contextually and culturally responsive (Mitchell 2011)

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Conclusion