Thriving at Impact Hub Birmingham & supporting the community to thrive. 38
Version 1. Open to edit, suggestions, improvement
Impact Hub Birmingham is‌ A community of people that are willing to dream, dare and have a heart for a better Birmingham. A home to collaborate and discuss, challenge and be challenged, provoke and be provoked. A place where paradox and contradictions can cohabit with ease. Impact Hub Birmingham is a network of amazing citizens, makers, doers, entrepreneurs, activists and dreamers committed to building a better Birmingham and a better world. Powered by a 6000 sq. ft. collaborative workshop, the Hub is an engine for passion, learning and outcomes where together, we can build a better city. At its core Impact Hub Birmingham is a platform, a resource and, above all, a community that exists for and because of you. As active members of the community, it is important that we understand that it is our collective responsibility to maintain, advance and grow the following basic principles:
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Powered by openness, trust, transparency, humbleness, generosity, learning and passion.
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Humble Placemaking We don’t have all the answers, but lets build a safe, diverse and courageous community to seek them out. Whether we realise it or not, we all have a role to play in creating a welcoming, safe, inspiring and sustainable space at Impact Hub Birmingham. Acknowledge your role and the power of your actions as a member of an emerging community, and the positive or negative impact on others in the space we are sharing. None of us have all the answers but together we are stronger. By creating a community and space that looks after each other - a space which can hold contradictions and paradoxes, we can create a humble, resilient and powerful community driving change. Accept and embrace opposing views and become a bridging space for such views to co-exist and ultimately co-create.
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Collaborative Effort Collaboration not competition, be generous with time, contacts and knowledge. Our community is based on the values of generosity, cooperation and collaboration. Choosing Impact Hub Birmingham as a community means you join a group of peers who want to grow, build and share ideas together. Harness the power of this community in your work. Embrace the Generosity paradox. Those who give, receive back in turn. By giving ourselves to others’ well-being, we enhance our own. In letting go of some of what we own, we better secure our own lives. By giving ourselves away, we ourselves flourish. This is not only philosophical and religious teaching, it is a sociological fact.
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Respect & Openness By creating a community based on fairness, love and care, we ensure the vulnerability that comes with openness is positive. Ensure that Impact Hub Birmingham is a reflective, challenging yet safe space for diversity, ideas, inspiration and creativity. We believe in transparency and openness, where ideas are free to flow and everyone can benefit. We encourage sharing, open spaces and discussions. We take pride in opportunities to share our beliefs, strengths and failures honestly, using honesty and openness as a tool to help each other.
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Be Curious, Proactive & Give More Than You Take We have an influencer structure, not a management structure. Act within these values and don’t wait for permission. We thrive on connections, generosity and mutual support. It is vital we all give as well as benefit from the strong community we are building together. Be proactive in making the community a better, fairer and more supportive place to be. Regularly seek out new ideas and share them with the community generously.
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Choosing Optimism and Hope We believe in possibility. We are continually striving for a better, fairer, happier and more prosperous city and community. Better places are built on fundamental values of positivity, optimism, support, empathy and love. Steer away from complaining and move towards solutions, approaching things in a positive, open and optimistic way. Genuinely appreciating one another’s contributions, giving the benefit of doubt in all situations and acting with humanity towards our peers. Choosing safe, respectful ways to call out bad behaviour in a way that doesn’t shame others, but instead helps us all to grow.
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Be an Encourager, Leave Ego at the Door. Be an encourager, the world already has enough cynics. As a team we are committed to not attaching our personal selves to ideas and want to share as much as we can to the collective good and progression of the community and city. Where possible strive to encourage, radically share and humbly support those around you to grow. Be suggestive about what they could do rather than instructive on what you think they should do, and avoid making assumptions. Listen by default and ask questions to gain clarity.
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Gratitude and Joy ‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants’ - Isaac Newton. Show more gratitude than you need to, understand that often the smallest tasks can be a huge achievement sometimes. Approach each other with humility and the knowledge that it is a privilege to serve one another. Have gratitude for all those before us who generously shared, open sourced, supported and invested for us to even contemplate the possibility of Impact Hub Birmingham. Choose not to be jealous in moments of success for others, celebrate with them and know that in your time of success, those around you have helped propel you forward. Lets grow together, becoming better collectively.
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Do The Right Thing & Forgive Do the right thing, fix the mistake, wash the extra mug - even when no-one will notice. Choose what is right for each other at every chance possible, strive for the best solution, fix the mistake or go the extra mile even if no one notices. Recognise the extra mile of everyone around you and be ready to forgive those around you quickly, understanding we are all on the same road and sometimes that road contains bumps. Strive to help each other have a better day, experience and journey even if it means helping one another to do the right thing, or sometimes even doing it for them. Use our hearts to make the right decision in everything we touch. In the face of most problems, ask yourself - will a hug make this a tad better? Don’t hesitate to try it out.
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