Join the Barking and Dagenham Community Research Network

Does this sound like you?

• Do you live in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham?
• Are you passionate about helping communities thrive?
• Want to learn how to be a community researcher – and get paid for it?

What is this?

• We at the Open University are launching a new community research network for Barking and Dagenham, in partnership with Thames Life Community Development Trust.
• We want to produce powerful new research and a short film about the right to community infrastructure – your right to access what you need where you live.
• But what do communities in our borough actually need? Let’s learn from the experts – you.
• We want to train-up and work with 15 borough residents as community researchers over 2025 and 2026. We want your passion, ideas and expertise to drive this work.

What does it involve?

• The community research network will take place over one year, October 2025 to September 2026.
• It’ll require about 60 hours of your time over that year. That averages 5 hours per month, but you can choose when to work alongside your other commitments. (E.g. if you have more free time in one month, you could do more research then, as suits you).
• As a community researcher, there are many things you can get involved in, from interviews to fieldwork, surveys and mapping, to learning how to make freedom of information requests, to archival and desk-based research.  Let us know what you’re interested in and we’ll train you accordingly.

What’s in it for me?

• We’ll pay you for your time at the London Living Wage rate of £13.85 per hour, for up to 60 hours total. That includes paid time to attend training and meetings.
• All community researchers who complete the programme will get an Open University certificate and further guidance on becoming a researcher and university skills.
• We’re aiming to make the research network sustainable on a long-term basis. But for that, we need to first prove it can do good work. That’s where you come in.

Would you be interested in taking part? Or know someone who might be?

So long as you’re a current resident of Barking and Dagenham and aged over 18, you are eligible to join. 

Get in touch

Send us a short email to express your interest in taking part. 

Email Vish, the network coordinator, [email protected]

And to learn more about the research side, please email Dan Taylor and Merim Baitimbetova at the Open University.

Once we receive your email, we’ll arrange a short chat to discuss getting involved.