ORIGIN Research Advisory Group

ORIGIN Research Advisory Group

Now recruiting

ORIGIN (Optimising cultural expeRIences for mental health in underrepresented younG people online) is a research programme led by Dr Rebecca Syed Sheriff with researchers across the UK that involves co-designing and testing an online arts and culture intervention (like an online museum) for mental health in underrepresented people aged 16-24. ORIGIN is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

We are looking for people aged 16-24 to form the ORIGIN Research Advisory Group (ORAG). This will be made up of 12 people who will provide a voice for the young people on the project. The fee structure equates to £12.50 for every hour of your time (please see further details below).

We are particularly looking for people living in England who have personal experience of mental health problems (these do not need to have been diagnosed). We would love to hear from range of people of different…

ethnicities
identities (including LGBTQIA+)
education and employment backgrounds (including those who are not in education, training or employment)
neurodiversity (including ADHD and autism)
regions of the UK (including rural and coastal areas)

The Origin Research Advisory Group (ORAG) will play an important role in the development of the ORIGIN project through advising on how the research is conducted:

Developing ways of involving people aged 16-24 in the research in a meaningful and ethical way, representing both their own views and the views of others.
Making sure the research is conducted in an inclusive youth-informed way.
Formulating ideas that will help develop the research and share its findings.

'The most significant part of the project was seeing something that represented what young people genuinely thought and have that come to life.'

Sophia, co-designer on O-ACE, ORIGIN's predecessor project.

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Training and Support

Training will be offered to fully support your involvement in ORIGIN and to help you to get the most out of your membership of the ORAG. Training may include but is not limited to:

Reviewing research materials
Ethical considerations (for example treating the people included in the research with dignity and respect)
Social media use
Dissemination of findings
Presentation and communication skills

Time Commitment and Payment

Once formed, the ORAG will have the opportunity to develop the best ways of working with the research team, which will be scheduled according to the availability of the ORAG members. The project’s lifespan is projected to be 2023-2028. There is flexibility on whether you want to stay involved throughout, commit for a certain time period, or take on different roles at different times.

The opportunity will involve meetings and tasks that will help develop the ORIGIN research programme in a way that is most engaging and inclusive for a range of people aged 16-24 with mental health difficulties from a range of different backgrounds and identities. We envisage the time commitment as being around two hours in meetings and two hours of tasks every 1-3 months. This may vary throughout the programme.

Payment for meetings and tasks is £12.50 for every hour of your time. This is in line with the standard rate agreed in prior consultation with PPI (Patient and Public Involvement).

SUBMIT YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

If you are interested in joining the ORAG, please complete this short expression of interest form which asks for a few details about you and why you would like to be involved:

Submit your expression of interest >>

There are only 12 spaces available for the ORAG and we will only be able to contact a few people to talk further about this. However, there will be many other opportunities to be involved in ORIGIN. These include ORIGIN Coordinators (people aged 16-24 coordinating public, community and peer research activities) and ORIGIN Peer Researchers (people aged 16-24 actively involved in conducting the research). If you’re interested in these roles, we would encourage you to fill in the expression of interest form and at the end tick the opportunities you're interested in.

More information

You can find out more about the ORIGIN project and the research team at: Origin | Gardens, Libraries & Museums

You can always contact us directly if you have any questions or would like more information. Please e-mail: origin@psych.ox.ac.uk and one of the ORIGIN researchers (Rebecca, Roisin, Lili, Shaima or Louise) will get back to answer your questions.

Otherwise, please email origin-request@maillist.ox.ac.uk to join the Network of Interest where we will share other opportunities to take part in this research in due course,  including community participation or as a research participant.

Meet the ORIGIN team

Name: Dr Rebecca Sheriff

Role: ORIGIN Lead Investigator

Rebecca is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Clinical Research fellow at the University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry. She has a special interest in the mental health of adolescents and young adults.

Name: Louise Chandler

Role: ORIGIN Public Co-applicant

Louise is a young person who has helped shape this research so far, sharing her perspective and lived experience of mental health difficulties. Louise will be supporting young advisors in sharing their unique ideas and lived experiences that will help shape the work of the ORIGIN project.

Name: Dr Shaima Hassan

Role: ORIGIN Co-Investigator, Public, Patient & Community Involvement and Engagement

Shaima works with public advisors across the North West Coast and is passionate about reaching seldom heard communities. Shaima will work together with Louise ensuring the voices of young people from diverse backgrounds shape the development of the ORIGIN project.

ORIGIN Research Advisory Group