Research Project: COAR
Working with the Aging Community: A Toolkit for Building a Collective of Older Adult Researchers (COAR)
Developed through a collaboration between ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s STAR Institute and Vancouver-based , the COAR Toolkit is a practical resource for engaging older adults as active partners in community-based research. It is the result of efforts to establish the Collective of Older Adult Researchers (COAR), supporting 411’s vision of becoming a hub for community-led research.
Through hands-on, intergenerational workshops, COAR members and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV graduate students built research skills together—from shaping questions to sharing findings—using a citizen science approach. Their collaborative project focused on mobility barriers in local neighbourhoods, applying their training to a real-world issue directly affecting older adults.
Informed by the lessons and successes of this project, the toolkit offers clear steps, tools, and strategies for anyone committed to inclusive, community-engaged research with older adults.
View our downloadable toolkit HERE.
In addition, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV STAR Institute helped develop 411's Community Hub platform on their website.
Check out the 411 Senior Centre Community Research Hub .