Reconceptualising coproduction as activism together

McMellon, C., McCusker, P., Roesch-Marsh, A., Hall, L., Bartlett, T. and McDermott, R. (2023) Reconceptualising coproduction as activism together. Children and Society, (doi: 10.1111/chso.12788) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life across the world in multiple ways and those already minoritised and disenfranchised, like care-experienced young people, bore the brunt of losses and mental health difficulties. This article reports on the findings of ‘Feeling Well, Feeling Cared For’ an innovative knowledge exchange project on care experience and mental health in Scotland that was seriously disrupted by the pandemic. The article explores how these disruptions created new opportunities for deepening and slowing down coproductive practices, allowing relationships between collaborators to become stronger. Three finding areas are presented and discussed through the lenses of coproduction and quiet activism. These include lessons developed through the process of carrying out this project during a pandemic, the findings from our discussions with young people about mental health, and our reflections on the meanings of activism in the context of a coproductive knowledge exchange process. The discussion highlights how learning from this project might benefit coproductive practices in the future, especially as global interest in coproduction continues to grow across a range of disciplines.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McMellon, Dr Christina
• Authors: McMellon, C., McCusker, P., Roesch-Marsh, A., Hall, L., Bartlett, T., and McDermott, R.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care
• Journal Name: Children and Society
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0951-0605
• ISSN (Online): 1099-0860
• Published Online: 01 September 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Children and Society 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
303369		Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health (TRIUMPH) Network	Joanna Inchley	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)	ES/S004351/1	SHW - MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit