Writing with Juliet Iwelunmor

Research for me these days begins from a place of experience and deep thought, innovation too. Almost six years ago, I embarked on a research experience that changed my life. I was coming off a streak of research proposals that failed tremendously as grants and losing sight of what my sheer purpose in life and academia was. I stumbled upon a research that I felt could be replicated in Nigeria and proceeded via a dear friend to reach out to the author to see if we could collaborate together. He said yes and in about three weeks or so we wrote a grant together that would change the trajectory of my life.

Looking back I had no business writing such a grant. I was not a senior researcher with multiple grants conducted and I certainly had no credibility saying that I could design or lead anything innovative. This was an innovation grant and that word was all I focused on with the hope that what we wrote would come close. I remember sharing it with a senior researcher who stated that it was very complex but if they are asking for innovation then we just may have something innovative.

Fast forward to today that one grant has given birth to six additional grants all distilled by a keen attention to what innovations with health can look like. Ours is a research platform that actually begins with no intervention in mind and we go on to co-design one with communities and individuals together. Have we struggled. Yes. We had so many hurdles along the way but did we make it, yes.

Today, I finished up the final main paper of this grant, six years in the making. Of course we wrote over 10 papers throughout the lifecycle of the grant but this is the main paper that signals how what we planned, came to fruition and in turn will propel us into the world of science as related to evidence-based interventions designed for youth by youth. In all, so many people made this day possible. Those that were there from the beginning, those that left along the way, those that joined even in the end, and all that remain. Words fail me. But I am grateful to you all for lending your keen insight to what it means to ensure that young people can lead the design of interventions for themselves.

I love grants and it will always be my first love with research but seeing the close of a grant is something special, one I do not take for granted. I hope 4 youth by youth continues to help build, help lead, help make us all innovation-driven, community and youth-driven with research that is lead by youth and communities themselves for their own needs and priorities and not solely expert driven. 4yby led to dreams which I know these days are the highest potential of my life. I hope it helps a new generation of researchers dream out loud of all the possibilities that exisit when research is not expert driven but people driven. Thank you to all the people that made this journey full of grace, full of love especially young people themselves, all of our ambassadors, youth research facilitators and participants. You are all the most valuable players. 

Last note, the past 35 days or so I was writing a note everyday to keep. I am learning that this is how I cope with work. The ability to get into a stream of consciousness writing as exemplified in the book Artist Way ensured that I reached the deadline set for the main paper one day early. To everyone that stopped by this blog, that read anything the last 35 days, know that I am grateful. You all helped me bring this paper to fruition and yes, in a creative way. We ignore poetry, art, storytelling at our own peril with what it can do for a productive career in academia. Nothing will of course be perfect but by writing here everyday, looking back, I not only ran three intense summer programs, I also submitted two grants and wrote 2 papers that I led (never mind the ones that I joined others on). Writing everyday and having a date like in the artist way, makes academia a thing full of ease. There are struggles still with academia but for now I remain grateful that I get to surrender to creativity more to remain productive.