Exploring suicide prevention through community-led action research
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 14th May 2025
Content warning: This article features mention of suicide
What are community experiences of suicide prevention? That’s the question being explored as of four organisations use community-led action research to amplify community voices and learning.
Community-led action research is a process where the community decides on an issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.
Led by Penumbra and funded by the Scottish Government, the project is focused understanding community experiences as part of the work of Suicide Prevention Scotland, which launched a new campaign last month.
With support from SCDC, the four organisations are exploring issues around how people access services in a small community; where are the gaps in community-based training; what are the priorities for support; and how effective is support for asylum seekers and refugees?
Each project is focusing its research on a community of place, and the latest update highlights progress around recruiting focus groups, meeting with local people, and carrying out surveys.
To further share this learning, Rosemount Lifelong Learning, Shetland Link Up, and SCDC are delivering a workshop at the Creating Hope Together conference on Thursday, taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year has the theme of 'community'.
What you need to know this week.
The SCDC Weekly gives you everything you need to know around community development and beyond.
It’s free, concise and delivered directly to your inbox every Wednesday.