Knowledge and Action Partnership
West Midlands Knowledge and Action Partnership for Race Equity
West Midlands Knowledge and Action Partnership for Race Equity is a community partnership that seeks to foster mutual learning, research, and community development for ethnic minority groups. The partnership is guided by the principles of inclusivity, transparency, and a shared commitment to advancing knowledge for the betterment of both the community and the university.
Vision
- To spearhead innovative community partnerships aimed at enhancing equity within ethnic minority communities
- To serve as a valuable hub for knowledge sharing and collaborative action within these communities.
Mission
Our mission is to promote and nurture collaboration among member organisations within the partnership to achieve better results, share resources, and exchange knowledge. This collaborative effort improves our ability to research and find solutions for equity problems in minority communities, especially those that affect underserved groups more severely.
Objectives
The primary objectives of this university and community Knowledge and Action Partnership are as follows:
- Knowledge Sharing and Transfer
- Facilitate the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources between the university and the community.
- Promote the dissemination of research findings and educational resources to benefit the community.
- Encourage community members to share their local knowledge and insights with the university for research, educational and community development purposes.
- Collaborative Research and Action
- Foster research collaborations that address community needs, challenges, and opportunities.
- Engage in research projects that contribute to the sustainable development and well-being of the community.
- Disseminate research findings through community engagement events, publications, and educational programs.
- To collectively address challenges or opportunities through collaborative efforts.
- Capacity Building
- Provide training and capacity-building opportunities for community members in areas of mutual interest.
- Support educational initiatives that enhance the skills and knowledge of community members.
- Encourage student and faculty involvement in community-based learning and research projects.
Partner Organisations/Groups
We aim to involve any organisations or groups that serve people from minority ethnic backgrounds. Our founding partners include:
This knowledge partnership originated from the Creating knowledge partnerships for equity (CLARITY) ProjectLink opens in a new window which was funded by the NIHR School for Public Health ResearchLink opens in a new window
For further information about this partnership please contact us at WMKARE@warwick.ac.uk
News:
WMKARE wins the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) award.
We are happy to report that WMKARE won the 2025 UALL award in the Institutional Partnerships category. The award recognised WMKARE for “innovative partnership working and engagement that creates change in a regional and local context.” This is a fantastic recognition of the collaborative work and commitment that have made WMKARE a success.
Our Health Our Voice: Tackling Health Inequalities Together
On 18 July 2025, we partnered with Coventry Caribbean Association to run a workshop empowering community members to understand and strengthen their role in promoting health equity by using their voices, influencing decisions, and shaping research and services that affect health and wellbeing.
We are grateful to everyone who supported the workshop, to those who shared their projects, and to the community members who attended. It was an insightful day of mutual learning, knowledge sharing, and exchanging experiences.
A Memorable Milestone for Our Community Partners: Presenting at the NIHR School for Public Health Research ASM 2025
In May, Dr Raheela and Aysha Shaikh from UKIM had the incredible opportunity to present at the NIHR School for Public Health Research’s Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), held at the beautiful Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel.
This moment was not only a milestone for our CLARITY+ project but also a powerful example of how inclusive, community-led research is shaping public health discourse in the UK.
Co-Producing Solutions: Improving Maternity Care for Black African, Caribbean and Mixed-Black Families
We asked, “What could be done to improve maternity care experiences for Black, African, Caribbean, and mixed-Black heritage families?” Through six workshops in Coventry using Nominal Group Techniques, we co-produced priorities for action with those directly affected.
We are grateful to the women, Coventry City Council, VCSEs, UHCW NHS Trust, and our partners Baby Lifeline, Coventry Empowered African Women’s Group, and the University of Warwick Participatory Research Fund for their support.
Special thanks to Sarindi Aryasinghe, who pioneered this approach in West London. While rooted in Coventry, these insights have wider relevance, and we look forward to sharing the report soon and seeing these ideas turned into action.
The Sisterhood & Serenity Eid Celebration, sponsored under the CLARITY+ project, showcased an innovative public health approach to engaging new mothers, often labelled a "hard-to-reach" group. Organised by a community researcher and designed with lived experience, faith, and culture in mind, the event was female-only and held in a child-friendly venue, allowing mothers to participate fully and comfortably. By removing barriers through cultural sensitivity and practical support, the event demonstrated how inclusive, community-led spaces can bridge health inequalities and capture the voices of those often left out of traditional research models. Sisterhood & Serenity offers a powerful blueprint for future public health engagement.
CLARITY+ Event featured in the Coventry City Council's Community Resilience team newsletter.
The Community Resilience team highlighted our CLARITY+ showcase event organised by Coventry Empowered African Women's Group (CEAWG) in their March. Please read the newsletter here. 
Raheela was thrilled to be part of AMBERfest 2025, contributing to the Wellness Pillar in an inspiring and engaging space. It was great to see such an attentive audience, hear their thoughts, and take part in meaningful conversations.
A huge thank you to the AMBERfest team for fostering a community of resilience and connection. Sharing insights on wellness, perseverance, and growth was an incredible experience—one we hope to continue in the future!
Our community partner organisation, Coventry Empowered African Women Group, organised an amazing International Women's Day event. The event featured many amazing speakers, including Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Coventry and councillors. Abi presented on the CLARITY project.
We had the opportunity to present the CLARITY+ project at the PHRESH Collaborations Meeting on February 5, 2025. The day focused on "Influencing Policy and Practice to Drive Better Public Health Outcomes". The conference provided a platform to explore key aspects of public health impact, stakeholder engagement, and policy influence. It was fantastic to see many attendees were interested in the CLARITY+ project.
WMKARE in partnership with Warwick SimUlation and CommUnity Team is hosting a Webinar on Human Simulation for Medical Education at 6pm on the 13th of November 2024. If you are a resident of Coventry or Warwickshire and interested in making a difference in medical education, please join us.
For more information and to sign up, please contact us at wmkare@warwick.ac.uk.
WMKARE features in the Warwick Social Inclusion Annual report 2023-2024. Please find the Social Inclusion Annual Report here.
We conducted four workshops as part of our Place-Based Research and Culture fund which was completed in June 2024. The aim of the project was to promote inclusion of people from minority ethnic groups in research. Please find more information here. We look forward to sharing the outputs.
Councillor Syeda Khatun MBE, one of our community partners, becomes the new Mayor of Sandwell. Please read more here.
Picture Credit: Sandwell Council.
Abi was invited to facilitate a discussion on contraception choices on the 9th of March 2024. The event was organised by Coventry Empowered African Women Group (one of our community partners) and funded by Coventry City Council Health Protection Community Grant.
Raheela was invited by UKIM Birmingham branch (one our community partners) to talk about “Menstrual disorder and Islamic perspective”. It was organised and funded by UKIM, Ludlow road mosque, Birmingham on 6th Feb 2024.
We presented part of the CLARITY Project at the BMJ research Forum 2023 on the 14th of December 2023. The theme of the conference was "Driving real-world impact from health research".
West Midlands Knowledge and Action Partnership for Race Equity has been awarded Place-Based Research and Culture fund for a project to promote inclusion of people from minority ethnic groups in research. Please find more information here.