‘It Will Start With Me’: a documentary film exploring the benefits and challenges of participatory research

‘It will start with me’ documents the experiences of six peer researchers (Virginie Clayton, Gislaine Mbayi, Lydia Gitamvu, Syeda Sadaf, Lill Casas Tortoledo, Weam Al Zaidi), one professional researcher (Lisa Garnham), and one post-graduate research student (Lily Owens-Crossman), who came together to design, develop, and deliver an evaluation of a community project (Our Rights, Our Communities) in Glasgow, Scotland in 2022. The ambitions and priorities of the peer researchers drove both the evaluation and the film, which was facilitated by film-maker Bircan Birol. The film was created to describe the power of research through co-production, to both professional and community-based researchers, and demonstrates the importance of ‘holding space’ for marginalised voices in sociological research.