Careers
Knowledge Mobilization Fellowship Opportunity Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life
Posting Date: May 2025
Fellowship Application Deadline: May 30, 2025
Start date: July 2, 2025
Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) Project HEAL is an intersectoral creative, culturally safe, multipronged, capacity-enriching project combating family violence against vulnerable newcomer populations. Led by health promoters and guided by trauma-informed art therapy techniques, the HEAL project will bring together a wide range of service providers to adapt the existing Expressive Arts intervention to intentionally intercept family violence and build wraparound support for survivors. More broadly, data collected will be used to inform systems that interact with individuals and families experiencing violence in using expressive arts practices to improve mental health and wellbeing.
ABOUT POSITION This HEAL Project Research Fellow position will focus on the completion of data analysis and knowledge mobilization for the Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) Project. This project is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to prevent and address family violence. The findings of this study provide evidence for appropriate expressive arts therapy intervention when working with individuals and families that have experienced family violence.
For this fellowship, we are seeking an individual with strong data analysis and knowledge mobilization skills. The final year of the HEAL Project has many deliverables including digital platform for knowledge dissemination, HEAL toolkit, presentations, manuscript writing etc. The individual will engage in synthesizing learnings from the project, amplify participant and practitioner voices, facilitate the sharing of knowledge (in person and virtually), collaborate with project team members and external partner organizations, and support policy practice change.
Working with the Research and Evaluation Team of Access Alliance supervised by the Director, Organizational Knowledge & Learning, the Year 4 HEAL Project Fellow will engage in the following activities during the course of this project in varying degrees:
- Support the collection of the evaluation cycle in-person for the remaining Phase II HEAL Programs;
- Conduct intervention research according to the “Intervention Research Plan” as outlined;
- Ensure all data is collected and stored in the appropriate secure safe folders;
- Synthesis data collected from HEAL programs and ensure all documentation is organized;
- Arrange data analysis meetings with community members, peer researchers, volunteers, and students as cultural consultants to ensure data analysis is reflecting the community of focus;
- Compile best practices and contribute to HEAL Project deliverables;
- Innovate new program ideas to enhance the effectiveness of the HEAL Program;
- Synthesize learnings from the project into accessible formats such as reports, toolkits, infographics, community guides, digital content, and multimedia content.
- Amplify voices of participants through storytelling, visual documentation, and culturally responsive dissemination strategies that honor privacy, trauma-informed practice, and lived experience.
- Facilitate knowledge exchange through presentations, webinars, community dialogues, and social media campaigns on the role of expressive arts in improving newcomer mental health;
- Collaborate with artists, researchers, and community organizations to co-create and distribute resources that support sustainable, arts-based responses to domestic violence in newcomer contexts.
- Support policy and practice change by sharing actionable insights and evidence-based recommendations to inform trauma-informed, culturally appropriate interventions across sectors.
- The Scholar will also be responsible for training and mentoring peer/community researchers. Project responsibilities such as coordination and other administrative activities, as advised by the supervisor, will be part of the role;
- The fellow will support the project coordinator on other research and evaluation tasks as they arise.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Graduate degree in health science, social science, research and evaluation, arts research;
- Experience working with mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative data;
- Identifies as a woman, to reflect the population of focus in this project;
- Excellent organization and attention to detail;
- Punctual and ensures deliverables are met;
- Has experience with publication and knowledge mobilization processes;
- Able to work on an interdisciplinary team while completing independent tasks;
- Asset event planning, development, organization, and implementation;
- Asset – effective communications and self awareness;
- Asset – able to speak one of the languages of focus: Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Tigrinya;
- Asset – experience in producing digital knowledge mobilization products.
Meeting Commitments: - Regular check-in with the project coordinator;
- Quarterly reporting to HEAL Project’s advisory committee;
- Arrange and co-facilitate one co-design training for peer researchers;
- Attend co-design meetings;
This is a full-time 5-days a week position (4 days/week essentially onsite, and 1 day for independent study) fellowship opportunity with one day for personal professional development for approximately 12 months. If not advised otherwise, the ISS Fellow will work on-site at 340 College St. Suite 500.
STIPEND AND SUPPORT
The Insight Scholar will receive a stipend of $40,000 annually in total for the full fellowship period.
Duration: July 2, 2025 – July 2, 2026
The Scholar will be based at Access Alliance and will receive mentoring supervision and support from the researchers and senior managers leading the project. The Scholar will also receive professional development, networking, and career transition support as part of the fellowship.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Candidates must demonstrate the following:
✓ Internationally acquired formal research training
✓ Proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination
✓ Proven first-hand experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative research
✓ Proven track record of applying research and evidence for knowledge translation in areas such as policy development, program planning, quality improvement, and public education
✓ Community and volunteer contributions in Canada
✓ Access to agencies serving the refugee population would be an asset
✓ Strong track record of writing and effective spoken communication skills
HOW TO APPLY
With “Immigrant Insight Scholar – HEAL Project 2025 – 26” in the subject heading, please send your cover letter and resume to the contact below.
In the cover letter, discuss why you are applying for this position, why and how your skills and experiences fit the requirements, what you hope to contribute and gain in this position.
Candidates upon request might be asked to send two example of knowledge mobilization products they have directly produced or worked on.
by E-mail: research@accessalliance.ca
by Regular Mail: Selection Committee, Immigrant Insight Scholars
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
340 College Street, Suite 500, Toronto, ON, M5T 3A9
This is an in-person working position at 340 College Street, Suite 500, Toronto, ON, M5T 3A9 with some travel within Toronto. Planned start date: July 2, 2025
No phone calls please, only candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted.
Expected interview date to be determined
We encourage applications from individuals who reflect the broad diversity of communities we work with, including those from racialized and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. By the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, accommodation will be provided in all parts of the selection process. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance. Access Alliance encourages a scent-free environment. Employees, students, volunteers, and visitors are asked to refrain from wearing fragrances and other scented personal care products (i.e. perfumes, lotions, hairspray, etc.) while at the Centre.