Accidental Community

A collaborative project between SFU, St. Paul's Hospital, and the UBC School of Social Work, this project documents the life of one of the most longstanding support groups for HIV positive persons in North America. Utilizing interviews, the project will report findings in two streams: an oral history of the group, to be created with extensive participation by past and current group members, and a conventional evaluation research report on the strengths of the group leader's approach, with attention to the evolving place of the support group in the lives of members and their community.

Interdisciplinary Partners:
  Social work, geography, gerontology

Institutional Partners:
  McLaren House, UBC School of Social Work, St. Paul's
  Hospital

Methodological Issues:
  Training community members to conduct research, linking
  GIS and demographic data, working with populations
  experiencing dementia and cognitive loss

Funding:
  Social Science and Research Council Standard Grant

Status:
  Ongoing through 2008

Full Project Description