“Inclusivity requires an active effort”: building an inclusive and diverse space when engaging people with lived and living experience and caregivers in mental health and substance use health research

Identifying ways to ensure research engagement settings are inclusive and diverse for all those involved requires an intentional and active effort at all stages of the research process. This includes not only employing various recruitment strategies to identify more diverse PLLEX-C, but also continuous, ongoing training for researchers to ensure engagement is culturally sensitive, anti-discriminatory, and bias-free. Prioritizing research teams that are inclusive and diverse can foster an engagement experience that is more meaningful, authentic, and empowering.