The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub is a communications arm of TCAS that provides our members with a suite of simple and practical multimedia knowledge mobilization options to effectively mobilize their research outputs to both academic and non-academic knowledge users. It seeks to co-create knowledge that may enhance local, provincial, and national policies that affect older people.
The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub is responsible for center related communications and is available to provide cost-based knowledge mobilization services to support member's projects. Please contact Director Nadine Changfoot (nadinechangfoot@trentu.ca) for more information on utilizing these services and incorporating them into budgets.
Communications
One of the many strengths of the TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub is the support and platforms it provides to its members to share key research findings with local, national and international audiences. Through TCAS-based channels such as social media and a biannual newsletter, as well as other academic and public media outlets, the Knowledge Mobilization Hub can support Centre members to create engaging and detailed communications outputs to share their research and its impacts with diverse audiences. See below for some specific examples of the ways that TCAS can support the communications of its members.
- Public Media Outlets
Supporting members in sharing their research with public media outlets, including specifically-targeted media outlets as well as journalism designed specifically to share academic research with the public, is a critical role of the TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub. See the article by Dr. Elizabeth Russell in the Conversation, and media articles written by the Building Rural Age-Friendly Communities research program to support the sustainability of local age-friendly programs (Muskoka, Durham, Arnprior, Perth County).
- Trent Centre for Aging & Society Social Media
The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub supports its members by providing social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter & Facebook) to share Centre members' updates, key research findings and research outputs. TCAS' active social media platforms reach diverse populations, including students, academics (both locally and internationally), and community leaders and organizations.
- TCAS Newsletter
A bi-annual annual newsletter highlighting Centre and member updates and research achievements. View all past issues here.
- Profiles
Profiles that show the research interests and achievements of TCAS members. View released profiles here.
- Output Design
With skills in graphic design, the TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub can support Centre members in creating communication outputs in a high-quality and professional format. Outputs include branded social media posts, reports (see Policy Reports below), event invitations, etc.
Events
The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub can provide support and services to Centre members looking to host knowledge mobilization events, including but not limited to seminars, meetings, public lectures, and online webinars. These events are geared towards sharing research findings with diverse audiences and collaborating with research partners and interested individuals.
See the examples below of some of the recent events hosted through the TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub that brought together both students and older adults in a collaborative and engaging environment.
- Intergenerational Coffee Hour
TCAS hosts intergenerational coffee hours that bring older adults and students together to find creative ways to improve intergenerational interactions at Trent University. View the post about the coffee hour we hosted in June 2022 here and read about the 2024 intergenerational coffee hour, here.
- Canada HomeShare Peterborough Information Session
In support of TCAS's partnership (led by Director, Dr. Elizabeth Russell) with Canada HomeShare, we hosted an in-person information session for community leaders, older adults and students to learn more about the Canada HomeShare Peterborough project - a homesharing initiative will support aging in place, while simultaneously providing post-secondary students with safe and affordable housing. Read the news articles about the events here and here.
Multimedia
Videos and other multimedia outputs provide interesting and engaging research snapshots, can effectively generate media attention, and are an important vehicle in sharing research. The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub can support Centre members with the creation of various research-based multimedia outputs to help share their research project and key findings. See the examples below of some multimedia outputs focused on sharing research and major projects.
- Abbeyfield Lakefield Co-Housing Project
TCAS partnered with Abbeyfield Lakefield to create a video to promote their ongoing project of establishing a seniors' co-housing project in the village of Lakefield. Watch the video here.
- TCAS Video Series: Aging During COVID-19
Led by TCAS Director Dr. Elizabeth Russell, this three-part video series highlights member research on aging and the pandemic. Watch all the videos here, or watch the video on research by the Rural Aging Research Program here.
- Creating Across Generations
The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub collaborated with TCAS member Shelley King (of Artful Connections) to create a video about her intergenerational puppet project.
- Trent Health in Motion Knowledge Mobilization Package
TCAS partnered with Trent Health in Motion to provide support on knowledge mobilization for their Healthy Living Program for Seniors, including conducting a mixed-method evaluation of health outcomes for older participants, and a video highlighting the program. Watch the video, Trent Health in Motion: Seniors in Motion, here.
In this video, we profile Trent Health in Motion's Seniors in Motion program that was rolled out in 2022. Seniors in Motion was led by Trent Health in Motion Co-Owners Reanna Montopoli and Michael Williams, and by Caitlin Curylo, Personal Trainer at Trent Health in Motion.
Policy Reports
Policy reports are a formal and effective way of sharing research with academic and policy-based audiences. The TCAS Knowledge Mobilization Hub can support Centre members in the creation of such reports, by providing assistance in synthesizing the body of the report, and the use of our branded template to create a high-quality, professional output to share with diverse audiences. See some examples below of policy reports created by Centre members to share key research findings.
- Rural Older Volunteers and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Report by Trent's Rural Aging Research Program (Dr. Mark Skinner, Dr. Elizabeth Russell, and Amber Colibaba) to showcase their research findings to community leaders and volunteer-based programs. Read the report here
- Abbeyfield Lakefield Needs Assessment
This report, conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Russell and her students was a comprehensive needs assessment conducted for the nonprofit organization Abbeyfield House Society of Lakefield to support the need for a low-cost, alternative home sharing living situation for local seniors. This needs assessment report directly informed and supported Abbeyfield Lakefield's next steps in terms of funding and site acquisition. Read the report here
- Building Back Differently
TCAS members, through the Rural Aging Research Program and Age-Friendly Peterborough, in collaboration with Building back Differently (a collaborative project between Trent University researchers and community experts), published a series of reports on building back for older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the reports here.
- Rural Ontario Foresight Papers - Services for an Aging Rural Population
Co-authored by Dr. Elizabeth Russell for the Rural Ontario Institute, the Services for an Aging Rural Population Foresight paper discusses the rural services that are relevant to an aging population by using examples from rural Ontario to demonstrate innovation in response to adversity by successfully addressing service delivery challenges at the community level. Read the report here.
