h tion Soute nta s e Pr e This We Mad
Learning
We Made This
People, Process and Place
A review of the ‘We Made This’ community development initiative at South Presentation, Evergreen Street, Cork
We Made This
People, Process and Place
A review of the ‘We Made This’ community development initiative at South Presentation, Evergreen Street, Cork
Foreword There is an amazing energy when groups get together: the goodwill – the openness – the great ideas – the community effort … – participant in ‘We Made This’ The ‘We Made This’ action research phase was very much about ideas and energy. It was about testing out ideas brought forward by local people from around the South Parish and city-wide who imagined what they would like to happen in South Presentation. It was about responding to social and learning needs and generating the energy to design initiatives in small-scale ways to meet those needs and be of service. The name, ‘We Made This’, was coined by the enthusiastic Transition Year Students from Ballyphehane. The shared vision that inspired our actions was simple – it was about imagining: … a place of welcome where people, no matter what their background, race, age or gender can feel at home and voice their hopes in working for a better world …
Welcome, hospitality and the simple sharing of meals together were the hallmarks of what became an emerging community of diverse people working together. Presentation Ireland is pleased to present this review report titled:‘We Made This’ – People, Process and Place on the action research phase of the community development initiative at South Presentation, Evergreen Street, Cork. The People are the many groups, organisations and individuals who contributed their time and talents and took part in myriad learning and community building activities over the past two and a half years. The Process we used was good community development practice suffused with a user-led design approach. Individuals and groups were encouraged to prototype, to try out ideas in small and manageable ways and to reflect on the experience. Sometimes it didn’t work – some courses were under-subscribed; sometimes it worked much better than we could possibly have imagined – the volunteer café was a surprising achievement.
The Place is South Presentation, a special place for the people of Cork and for the Presentation Sisters, the place where Nano Nagle began her work in Cork. With its walled gardens, it is an oasis of calm in a busy city, with an unbroken history of education and service since the eighteenth century. The ‘We Made This’ initiative is proud to carry on this tradition of service in new ways today. We would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of Patricia Keane, the project’s first community development worker, whose work in outreach helped make ‘We Made This’ a place of inclusion. We would also like to commend Chris Chapman, who conducted this review and succeeded in capturing the spirit of the initiative. This report provides a platform on which we can plan the next exciting phase of the project.
We are grateful to the Presentation Sisters who invited us to dream a new dream for South Presentation and provided the warm welcome, buildings and resources to make the dream a reality. To the many hundreds of people who contributed, took part in events and formed the community that is ‘We Made This’, we express our sincere gratitude and appreciation.
David Rose
Sr Anne Coffey
Presentation Ireland
Presentation Sisters
This Review Document: UÊ
Gives a brief insight into the ‘We Made This’ initiative at South Presentation (further information is available at www.southpres.ie)
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Seeks to identify the ‘formula’ that enables ‘We Made This’ to work
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Identifies some of the key challenges faced (and that will continue to be faced)
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Plots the outline of a possible path forward
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Makes recommendations and suggestions to help guide the next phase of the initiative’s development.
NB – Documents tend not to do justice to things that are all about ‘life’, ‘energy’, ‘connection’ and above all ‘community’ – these are things we understand through real lived experience more than reading!
Contents Who is the ‘We’ of ‘We Made This’
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Vision and themes
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The process of this review
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What people value the most about ‘We Made This’
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Some of the things people get out of being involved
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Map of buildings used
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What enables ‘We Made This’ to work
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The Design Team
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Challenges faced
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Some opinions from the reviewer
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The emerging path forward
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Recommendations and suggestions
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Appendix 1
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Appendix 2
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Who is the ‘We’ of ‘We Made This’? Local neighbours drop in for tea; Community Dance/Theatre Artists barter space for skills; Nature and Environment activists take part in the community garden; older citizens have the Get Together group, the K&C (knitting and crochet) group, the South Parish Active Retirement group; people in recovery are gardening, cooking and meditating in the gardens (SHINE, HSE Community Mental Health); unemployed young people are ‘upskilling’ through Project REFOCUS; other young people participate in Foróige’s Big Brother/Big Sister, the Greenmount Drugs Initiative, Teenage Film Animation; young parents (Teenage Parents Support group); people seeking asylum, currently living in Kinsale Road and Glenvarra Accommodation Centres, attend garden group and multicultural cooking; people from Central and Eastern Europe and South America learn English and get help in the Migrant Workers Centre; people seeking creative expression take affordable pottery classes with i2i Arts; locally based film crew make documentaries, such as one about the harsh realities of drug addiction; ‘We Made This’ design team meet once monthly to guide the project; members of Brothers of Charity Services take part in K&C Group, cooking and gardening; Transition Towns Movement; Grow It Yourself Cork; LETS skill share; residents of Sofia Housing Association get involved in cookery classes and gardening; children from Greenmount N.S. have pottery classes with i2i Arts; men from St Vincent’s Hostel work in our garden; women from the Travelling community, the Glen Women’s Group, Nano Nagle Housing; Bridge Enterprise men provide hospitality, security and maintenance; Get Together Group are on the Design committee; Presentation Ireland; people with stories to tell, using Playback Theatre to do so; and last but not least, the Presentation Sisters. 8
Vision and themes The Vision for ‘We Made This’ is: … a place of welcome where people, no matter what their background, race, age or gender, can feel at home and voice their hopes in working for a better world … It is all about a growing Community – an inclusive community, an alive and evolving community. It is also about a Place – a place with a long history, where people are creating together a future; a place a lot of people feel a connection to. Throughout, there is a strong theme of Rebirth – people and buildings starting again.
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Core Initiatives in 2011: i2i Arts (Community Artists), Foróige Greenmount Youth Initiative, Migrant Workers Centre, Gardening Project, Project Re-focus (for unemployed people), Design Committee, Bridge Enterprise CE Workers. A Meeting Place for: Transition Towns, Get Together Social Group, GIY – Grow it Yourself, Simon Community, Mens Activity & Drama, People seeking asylum, Raw Food Group, Foróige’s volunteer groups – Big Brother/Big Sister, Teenage Film Animation, Teenage Parents Support Group, community meals and meetings. A Learning Space: Film & Animation Courses, Job Skills, Pottery and Art Classes with i2i Arts, Cookery Classes, Gardening Courses, Photography, Learning English, Learning Festival and Lifelong Learning Week.
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The process of this review The review was undertaken in four main stages: UÊ An initial meeting with the Design Team held on 14 October 2011 (nine members present) UÊ A celebratory meal and a workshop with service users held on 27 October 2011 (approx. seventy people present from diverse projects) UÊ A photo exhibition and a workshop with external stakeholders on 28 October 2011 (fifteen people present) UÊ Follow-up interviews with a sample of five regular participants and a focus group meeting to discuss draft recommendations. The methodologies used were highly participatory and particularly based on a process called World Café (see www.worldcafe.com for further details). For the group work, participants were given guiding questions to consider to throw light on their experience of the initiative and their ideas about the future. Attention was paid to ensuring that we were both appreciating the positives of the initiative (which might otherwise be taken for granted) and addressing real problems experienced.
A full version of the feedback from these groups is being used by the Design Team to inform their planning discussions. The underlying thinking behind the review process comes from a ‘whole systems approach’ – helping people to share their equally valid diverse perspectives and to appreciate their interconnectedness, with the intention that from that more informed position, a different level of insight and creativity becomes possible. The review concerned itself with questions such as: UÊ Is the original vision still relevant and clear? UÊ Are people being consulted about all the things they might usefully be consulted about? UÊ How is the balance between action and reflection working out in practice? UÊ Is it time for a different kind of growth, beyond the continual organic process? Thanks are due to everyone who participated so positively in the review process.
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What people value the most about ‘We Made This’
At the beginning of the user consultation event on 27 October 2011, people were asked to ‘checkin’ with a word that they most associated with ‘We Made This’. The flipchart image above is the record of those words.
Throughout the review process, the same observations recurred: UÊ ‘It all begins with the welcome’ UÊ ‘It’s a place for people to come together’ UÊ ‘A place where people feel they can belong – a green lung, healthy, fresh and needed’ UÊ ‘A place of stillness’ UÊ ‘People can find themselves’ UÊ ‘A place of great ideas and creativity’ UÊ ‘Exactly what society needs now’
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Some of the things people get out of being involved: UÊ
‘A lot of confidence – big-time!’
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‘I grow my own food in the garden at home now’
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‘It gets me mixing’
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‘It’s great having social interaction with others interested in working for the good of the community’
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‘I get to meet a real cross-section of people I wouldn’t normally meet’
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Map of buildings used Business in the Community Ireland along with the PM Group, DPS, Sisk and Cara Partners made a huge contribution to upgrading and refurbishing the buildings for the community.
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THE KINDS OF REASONS PEOPLE GET INVOLVED IN THE BEGINNING: UÊ
‘I wanted to do a course’
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‘I was down in the dumps, no work and I needed somewhere to go’
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‘I was recovering from mental illness and my community nurse suggested it’
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‘There were problems where I lived and I had to get out’
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‘I had always wanted to be more involved in my community’
ADVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED: UÊ
‘It’s a matter of just coming in off the street and getting involved’
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‘It’s the first step that matters’
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‘Just go down, propose something and get yourself together’
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‘The old fellas should teach the young fellas a few skills’
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‘There are so many people sitting at home suffering isolation and depression – we can all be of assistance and help ourselves at the same time’ 17
What enables ‘We Made This’ to work These are the observations of the reviewer, coming in as an outsider – a fresh pair of eyes noticing what there is to be noticed.
‘It all begins with the welcome’ – You soon lose count of the number of times people refer to how welcomed they felt the first time they showed up. This is down to the ordinary human contact of someone who is pleased to see you. A culture of equality and respect – The project has gone out of its way to include diverse groups of people and show them respect. Young and old. Irish and nonIrish. People with recent pasts that are very different from how they want their futures to be.
The option of peace and tranquillity – People love the garden. For some it is a spiritual space; for others ‘spiritual’ is a word they would never use, and it is just somewhere they can go for a bit of quiet, to spend some time alone, if that is what is wanted.
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The kitchen and food – Many of people’s favourite moments are centred around food: sampling food from different ethnic backgrounds, cooking with produce from the garden, going out to the Cork Volunteer Fair, running a café or just having a cup of tea with someone. Time and again the kitchen and food are at the heart of things.
‘Not over-organised, no “shoulds”’ – ‘We Made This’ is not a bossy place. There are plenty of things going on, but not too much. There is always some spare time and space to just ‘be’ in, or within which new things can emerge. Most people, most of the time, try not to tell each other what they think they should do!
‘They make it safe for people’ – ‘They’ is probably everyone. For some people, ‘safety’ is extremely important; some people have plenty of experience of what it is like to not feel ‘safe’ – those people particularly appreciate the efforts of others in this respect.
A sense of community – community can be a terribly difficult thing to define. ‘We Made This’ offers a sense of how the participants would like ‘community’ to be. As the approach becomes more refined and embedded, its impact beyond the physical walls of the project is becoming more evident.
A sense of future growth – There is a sense of things emerging, progressing, connecting up, growing organically, a sense of new life in a place that might otherwise be seen as being in decline. The path of growth isn’t entirely clear, but you know there will be a path – any ‘stuckness’ is unlikely to be for long.
‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it – that’s what gets results!’
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The Design Team The original intention in forming the Design Team was to create a place where representatives of the community groups involved in ‘We Made This’ could help guide the project and test out new ideas, within the overall vision and values of the project. For much of the Design Team’s life, it has met monthly. It has dealt with issues around the use of space, planned the newsletter, planned events and outings and provided a link back to the different groups and constituencies. Members of the Design Team have volunteered their time, not just at meetings, but in the following-through of ideas.
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Challenges faced (To note that variations on these challenges would most likely be faced by any similar project.) Planning enough and not too much – people want a level of structure and certainty (indeed there is a relationship between structure and a feeling of safety) and yet it is in the absence of structure and in the uncertainty that creativity and surprises come. A careful balance needs to be struck. Communicating without imposing – people in positions of responsibility want to communicate things clearly: how things work, what are reasonable expectations to have of what is possible etc., and yet if those responsible try to communicate too much, it will risk growing a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’ that might get in the way of genuine belief in what ‘We’ might make/do together. 22
Balancing trust and security – it is good to see the good in people, to grow trusting relationships and also it is important to acknowledge that there is always the risk of people behaving in ways you would prefer them not to. There are difficult questions such as what to do if people’s needs are conflicting or if people are starting to feel less safe in someone else’s presence – these are real tests for the relationships and structures that are in place, and someone has to pay attention to these things. Knowing who to involve in which decisions – the project is all about empowerment. On the one hand it is not empowering to involve everyone in every detailed decision, to the extent that the act of decision-making starts getting in the way of what people are actually there for. On the other hand, it is possible to be overprotective, to think you are doing people a favour by not involving them in things like how to keep the place clean or how to manage car parking. And so another balance needs to be struck.
The physical building – there are realities in dealing with old buildings and there are realities about running a project next door to people’s homes (i.e. the Presentation South convent). There are also conversations in the background about possible future use of the larger site. Again there is careful judgement needed about who to involve in what, when, so that people are empowered without being overburdened with hassles they don’t need. Cleaning up – most of us are more interested in making things and doing things than we are in cleaning up afterwards. ‘We Made This’ is no different. Familiar conversations about who gets to clean up after all the other things have happened are not always easy to face. The parts and the whole – when people think of the project, they most likely think first of their own needs (i.e. somewhere to go, somewhere to meet others etc.), then possibly to think of the needs of a particular group they identify with (i.e. the Youth Group, the Migrant Workers Project etc.) and only then of the needs of the ‘whole’ – a project of inter-connected and mutually dependent parts. It can be difficult to make the needs of the ‘whole’ visible (e.g. it is a small number of people who are thinking about how the ‘whole’ is run smoothly or how the parts could develop more healthy connections with each other).
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Some opinions from the reviewer ‘We Made This’ is a very impressive initiative. It is trying to do some difficult things; in particular:
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Bringing new life into what could otherwise be seen as just a group of buildings that are past their best
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Working with diverse groups of people, many of whom are marginalised and socially excluded
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Working in a way that enables people to do things for themselves rather than become dependent on other people to do things for them
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Making connections that others may not immediately make and working at multiple levels (for example, the garden project clearly
links to nutrition, self-esteem, mental health, community integration and well-being, greater local economic independence etc., but it is easy and equally valid to see it as ‘just’ a garden project)
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Working emergently to make the most of the potential of the moment and the people who show up (rather than having a more structured plan that would in some ways appear to give more security, but might stifle spontaneity).
The ‘birth’ and ‘childhood’ of the initiative seem to have gone well (even if it can be quite difficult to say how we define ‘well’!) There is much energy and goodwill. A lot of things that could have gone badly wrong haven’t. Now is the time to ponder ‘what is “We Made This” going to do as it enters its next lifestage?’
I [the reviewer] think the time is right for more selfconfidence, to go out into the world saying, ‘We know we are not perfect, but we have some things here that we are proud of and that others can potentially learn from’. Also we can say, ‘We are doing a lot here and we would like to partner with others to bring in more resources, to make even more possible’. There remains considerable potential to expand into new areas, e.g. being a learning resource, being an explicit economic development project and being a place with links to similar places across the globe.
In showing itself to the world more, ‘We Made This’ must not lose its essential qualities. In particular, it needs to remain experimental, trying things out and not being afraid to fail. It needs to present itself as ‘a place of learning’ – where learning comes from not knowing the answers, but working together from what seem to be sound principles, and where there is a commitment to shared learning for the benefit of others. The next stage of life still needs to be an adventure – people together trying to make the best of what they have.
For years to come, the world is likely to be an uncertain place where resources (especially financial resources) are hard to come by. ‘We Made This’ gives us all an insight into how more can be made of available resources (people, skills, buildings etc.) and a more resilient approach be grown. 25
The emerging path forward When people hear there is going to be a review process, it is normal to be concerned, to wonder what is going to be cut and to feel anxious about what might change. In commissioning this review, Presentation Ireland was very clear: they wanted to be positive; they wanted to gather learnings from the history of the project to date, consolidate and reinforce what was working best, and provide a direction for future development. The earlier page (page 18) on ‘What enables “We Made This” to work’ attempts to capture some of the ingredients of the formula that has been working so successfully, so the first thing to say about the future direction is, don’t change a winning formula!
‘It all begins with the welcome’
A culture of equality and respect
The option of peace and tranquillity
The kitchen and food
‘Not over-organised, no “shoulds”’
‘They make it safe for people’
A sense of community
A sense of future growth
‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it – that’s what gets results!’
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But the review process has also clearly identified some other ingredients that could be gradually added to this mix to further enhance what is already there:
Greater co-operation between groups
More joint events
A higher external profile
More focus on work experience
More outreach in the local community
More links with schools
Making more of the heritage of the site
Sharing more of the learning that happens here
Making global links Many resources are finite. There is only so much physical building space available. There is only so much money. The resource that remains not so finite is the potential of all the diverse people in the community. The really clever thing will be finding the ways to deploy more and more of the people resource without needing to create excessive bureaucratic structures. If the above ingredients are to be added to the mix, then more people will need to take responsibility for making things happen and those people will need to be supported as they step forward as the leaders of the future. Presentation Ireland has a vision for the future development that includes: an iScoil online and blended learning centre for young people; a global education space; and an ecology and sustainable living programme. In some ways, the emerging path for ‘We Made This’ could be summarised as finding the ways for more people to work together, progressively taking more responsibility within the initiative. (Further thinking regarding possible future direction is included as Appendix 1 to this report) 27
Recommendations and Suggestions 1. Measuring and Appreciating Success
2. Planning
The success of such a project can be quite difficult to demonstrate. Some of the differences it makes can be quite intangible, e.g. someone’s confidence has grown, someone else feels less lonely, it has now become possible for people to work on a shared vision of a future that had seemed quite impossible before, etc.
Reference has already been made to the challenge of ‘planning enough and not too much’. It is helpful for all concerned to have a broad container of a plan that gives some indication as to the overall direction, whilst leaving space within which people can be creative as to how they see that overall direction is travelled.
There can be resistance to using numbers as indicators of performance, e.g. saying how many people came through the front door in a week or how many people attended a particular event tells so little of the story.
This review, hopefully, gives a sense of an emerging way forward, based on feedback from stakeholders.
This is an area in which the project can improve. The Design Team should consider developing a set of performance indicators that would indicate the range and level of activity within the project, to be used alongside other more creative ways of telling the story. There should be regular reporting back on performance to both internal and external stakeholders, within a context of celebrations and also as part of serious conversations about how the project can be the best it can possibly be. 28
It would be helpful if the Design Team were to publish an annual Outline Plan, within the context of a longer-term vision and to give an indication of a manageable pace of change. Such a plan should make clear how the further development of ‘We Made This’ may fit in a wider context of any development of other parts of the overall site.
3. Internal Communications There is already a lot of good practice here with creative use of noticeboards and good quality newsletters. It is also important to recognise that it is difficult to communicate clearly in a place where many things are constantly changing. There needs to be a twin-track approach to internal communication: UÊ Clear, consistent communication of what it is that doesn’t change (i.e. the core purpose and values of the project) UÊ Regularly updated communication of the things that do change (i.e. events, news etc.) Use of noticeboards (especially near the entrance), website, Facebook and Twitter can all be improved. There is also considerable potential in developing ways to tell and record the ‘story’ (e.g. short videos, a ‘day’ or ‘week in the life’ book etc.). It would be very helpful if a Communications Team could be established to take responsibility for overseeing developments in this area. The remit of the Communications Team
should be that it is their role to ensure there is a structure within which communications can work, whilst it still remains everyone’s job to communicate well.
4. External Communications ‘We Made This’ has understandably been very busy
‘making’ and less good at ‘telling’ its message to the world. To some extent, this is a life stage – it is good to want to be very sure that one walks the talk, before talking too much. This is starting to change; for example, the recent photo exhibition and Evening Echo article (http://www.presentationsistersunion.org/ news/view_article.cfm?id=1075&loadref=16).
‘We Made This’ is now at a stage where it can give more
focus to how it communicates to the outside world. This matters in terms of continuing to attract new people into the project, in terms of developing possible partnerships with other organisations, in terms of attracting new resources, and in terms of helping others to benefit from the extensive learning that has been going on within the project. 29
The story of ‘We Made This’ could be attractive to national media, but consideration would need to be given as regards balancing the potential benefits of this with the risk that the story may not be told the way one would like it to be told. There is considerable potential to use the immediate outside of the project to more effectively communicate what the project does and that new people are always welcome. The potential internal communications initiatives referred to above will also be of relevance to external stakeholders. Specific ideas mentioned during the consultation included: ‘A radio documentary’, ‘A video project’, ‘Documenting individual narratives’, ‘Investigate what do others say about us?’, ‘Blogs from individual groups’, ‘A bi-annual poster book pulling together key images’. The new Communications Team should include external communications within its terms of reference.
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5. Outreach The café in City Hall as part of ‘Cork Volunteer Fair’ was widely regarded as a great success: a fun project to be part of, a social ‘bringing together’ of different aspects of ‘We Made This’ and a demonstration to the outside world of ‘We Made This’ in action. Opportunities to pursue a similar outreach approach should be investigated, particularly where they enable people to gain work-related experience. During the consultation, the idea was put forward of ‘A “We Made This” Catering Company – a roll-out café – getting us out meeting people and working with others we wouldn’t normally come across’; also ‘A “We Made This” market stall – tea, coffee, juice, bread etc. and crafts’. Interest was also expressed in more local outreach – ‘Specific outreach to old folks homes/hospitals – adopt a “granny”/“grandad”’; and/or ‘Form an outreach team to get out and knock on doors – find the people who are most alone’; and possibly ‘Outreach via meals on wheels and public health nurse’.
What to do when you have the seed of something that could be a good idea Whilst profit may not be the primary motive of any such initiative, there should always be transparency about where any profit is going. What matters most in the consideration of such ideas is not so much the idea itself (it is relatively easy to have potentially good ideas), but the mechanism for testing whether there are sufficient people willing to volunteer to make it viable.
Seeds need to be planted, protected and nurtured. Some of them may become weeds, some of them may not sprout at all and only some will become beautiful plants. Seeds grow best when they are in a suitable ecosystem, rather than left out on their own. What does that all mean in practice? When someone has the beginnings of an idea, there needs to be a place for them to plant it, without people flooding it with all the reasons it will never work. There needs to be a mechanism that enables other people to supportively nurture ideas – something which enables ideas to turn into prototypes. It has to be OK for prototypes to not work immediately. There needs to be space within at least some meetings for new ideas to be planted. One format for this is something called a Proaction CafÊ – see: http://www.theworldcafecommunity.org/ forum/topics/pro-action-cafe.
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physical building walls, then this role will need to be further enhanced.
n h o t i t u So senta Pre ade This We M 6. Minimum Necessary Structures It would undermine much of the success of ‘We Made This’ if a complicated bureaucratic system of committees, sub-committees and whatever else was allowed to develop. And yet, there is a need for a level of structure to support the continuing growth within the project and to strengthen the links between the different initiatives on the site. As the project grows, the supporting ‘scaffolding’ needs to progressively take on a bit more structure. The Design Team has provided some of the necessary structure and continuity. If the project is to continue to grow and to seek to have more influence outside the
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The Design Team needs to be the focal point for: UÊ Ensuring that there is enough planning and enough structure within the system (but not too much) UÊ Paying attention to the overall picture of what is going on, the pace of change and how things are working in practice, and then making recommendations for change as necessary UÊ Overseeing the broad financial position of the project and the setting of transparent targets where necessary UÊ Inputting into the wider strategies and plans of Presentation Ireland (including any conversations about the future of the site). The Design Team could be seen as the ‘Guardians’ or ‘Stewards’ of the spirit of the project. To take on this enhanced role, the Design Team needs to be freed from responsibility for communications and growing connections between projects – these need to be taken on by the new Communications Team and by more people coming forward from within the projects themselves to get involved in ‘We Made This’ as a whole.
The Design Team will need to learn to delegate effectively, passing on as much responsibility as it reasonably can and limiting its own agendas to a minimum. The business of the Design Team should be conducted as transparently as possible. It is probably the right time for the Design Team to choose a local person to be its chairperson.
7. Team-Based Approaches There is a danger that as we start to map out additional things that ‘We Made This’ could be doing, we are just making the ‘to do’ list of the worker longer and longer. It needs to be part of the next stage of the evolution of the project, that more and more things happen without the involvement of the worker and without an unreasonable workload being placed on the Design Team. Teams need to be formed to take responsibility for particular events or areas of activity. (The first recommended example of this is the new Communications Team.) Teams need to be given clear terms of reference by the Design Team and then left to get on with it, as far as possible (whilst knowing that it is OK to ask for help, if necessary!).
be time-limited. Some teams may relate to particular projects: for example, three or four people could become a ‘project group’ to ensure necessary coordination for a project such as the garden. In order for communications to work within the centre as a whole, it will be important that any team taking responsibility for doing anything will also need to take responsibility for communicating about that activity. Any team/grouping needs to operate from the same values as the project as a whole (i.e. not seeking to control anyone, but ensuring that there is a framework that enables things to work). In general, meetings should be open to all – inclusive rather than exclusive. A mechanism needs to be developed within which it is easy for people to volunteer to be a part of a team and communications are shared as to what different teams are up to and what is being learnt. One such mechanism could be periodic open meetings working on Open Space principles (say three or four times a year) where anyone could put forward ideas for consideration and those ideas could be nurtured and tested to see how much support they garnered. (Some training on hosting such meetings may be required.)
Some teams (like the Communications team) will be permanent fixtures; others (such as those that come together for the planning of a particular event) will 33
‘Open Space Technology’: ‘Open Space’ is a way of working that was pioneered by an American conference organiser called Harrison Owen, after he realised that vast resources were going into planning sessions at conferences when everyone knew that in the real world the best bits were happening in the coffee breaks. What, he wondered, would it be like to have an event that was like one long coffee break? The principle is that things work best when people get to talk about the things they are passionate about and are willing to take some responsibility for. Meetings run on these principles can last an hour or two, or for major processes can go on for several days. The method works for small and large groups. In an Open Space meeting, participants get to set the agenda and then conversations run in parallel with people going where they feel they will get most benefit or be able to contribute best. If you say ‘I would like to talk about this …’, you soon find out if anyone else cares and what perspectives people have that are different to 34
your own. Open Space meetings tend to be particularly good at bringing people together who want to take action on the same thing. For further details see: http:// www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm. When people volunteer for a team, it should be for a time-limited term, so that there is always the opportunity for new people to get more involved and things to be kept fresh.
8. Support and Training
9. Building Links Between Groups
As individuals take on increasing levels of responsibility, attention needs to be given to volunteers’ needs for support and training.
As well as the more formal structures, it is important to design in occasions where it is easy for members of the various groups who use the space to talk and listen to each other and to do work together.
Possibilities for facilitating this could include some kind of ‘buddy’ or ‘mentor’ scheme, where more experienced volunteers are linked with less experienced ones and/ or possibly a more structured community leadership programme, where volunteers are taken through a training programme that looks at relevant skills and helps them with their personal development. Being involved in a team and participating in training will all contribute to an individual’s employability and give a source for references. Investing in the support and training of people who are willing to take on more responsibility will be crucial in enabling the overall project to further grow and develop. It will also contribute to the building of relationships and understanding between members of different groups.
Ideas shared during the consultation included a ‘monthly inter-group coffee meet-up’, with at least one person from each group going and talking about what their group is doing and/or possibly identifying projects such as coffee mornings and open days, where groups can get to know each other through working together. It would be very helpful if each group could nominate someone who would be willing to take responsibility for building links with other groups. (These people could take an ‘ambassador’-like role, making sure their group was understood by others and also bringing back news from other groups to the one they are associated with – the collective grouping of ‘ambassadors’ could become one mechanism by which events were organised, but as with other things, it would be important that they got others to join in and share the work.)
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For some people, relationships are built more through ‘doing’ than ‘talking’. It would be wonderful to identify projects that would benefit from mass involvement on a time-limited basis. On the link below there is a video of the construction of a community garden and the refurbishment of a cultural centre in Brazil, achieved by large numbers of people coming together for just fifteen minutes a day! http:// www.walkoutwalkon.net/brazil/video-warriors-without-weapons
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Appendix 1 – A first impression map of some possible futures This ‘map’ was developed in a workshop held with members of the Design Team on 14 October 2011. It is not a definitive plan; rather it is an illustration of the kind of thinking that is out there and progressively taking shape. NEAR FUTURE
MID FUTURE
FURTHER OFF FUTURE
Strengthen the stillness of garden
Heritage Centre for visitors
Global Hub
Backyard as half quiet space, half activity
Nano Hall – plays – gallery – pianos working
Work towards greater co-operation between groups on site
A bigger kitchen and multi-cultural café on site
A Global profile + tour guides for tourists
iScoil
Tell story (of Nano) in a lived way
A sense of community in the wider community
A DVD on ‘We Made This’
Nationwide media coverage
Bringing out the spirituality that is in people
‘Open for business’ blinds
Looking for grants
A screen for projecting films
‘Café to the world’
Becoming a learning place
Hotdesk
More computers to work with
Start-up clinics
More clinics
Set up a promotion team inc. blog and Facebook
Improve physical appearance of school
Fundraising
More signage on side of building
A part-time business development team within ‘We Made This’
We 6 – schools project A general progression of strengthening communication as we go Growing Unity – a redefining of relationships ‘We can’t adjust the wind, but we can adjust our sails’ 37
Other future-oriented ideas that came up from consultation with users include: UÊ Further develop link between community garden and community cooking – this has worked well UÊ More integration between groups, more networking, more work on newsletter and website to get information flowing, more socialising UÊ Others co-operating with security – form a welcoming/hospitality team UÊ Develop the sense of belonging – ‘your opinion counts’, ‘you are relevant’ UÊ Make info on the history of location, the heritage and Nano Nagle’s vision more transparent UÊ Events: more open days, fundraising, storytelling/ seanachai evenings, plays, drama, music; more large gatherings bringing people in, introducing the project; free adverts in papers; get more people involved UÊ Specifically involve more older people – bridge club, cards, tea afternoons UÊ Make links between young and old and build companionship UÊ Make a beautiful ‘Welcome!’ sign – ‘If there is no answer, you are still welcome, but for some reason we cannot make it to the door. Feel free to explore the garden while you wait’ 38
UÊ Make the multi-media aspect of the chapel ‘modern’ to attract volunteers, e.g. show independent movies/ art galleries UÊ It would be great to use the basketball area for the community youth – a place to go and do sport; make the sports hall safe; get these to be projects young people do for themselves to increase ownership/reduce vandalism UÊ Tarmac the car park and courtyard UÊ Pedestrianise Evergreen Street to improve stillness of garden UÊ A youth group working on social skills, through drama UÊ Drama groups/workshops for different ages UÊ A toddlers group – then link grandparents and babies UÊ Day trips to countryside/seaside/Fota etc. UÊ More classes for people’s well-being UÊ Could ‘We Made This’ become an interfaith community? – a place where diverse communities came together and learnt about each other? UÊ A bible study group – more scripture-based, reflecting Nano Nagle’s basic intent and vision, her desire to teach what she read UÊ Someone to answer the door.
Appendix 2 – Advice users would offer to people undertaking a similar project (Responses from user consultation event held on 27 October 2011) UÊ Find out what’s needed in the area UÊ Make people welcome – a great welcome, a friendly atmosphere, make it so you feel at home UÊ Tea – welcome visitors and service users UÊ The kitchen needs to be really big (and well-equipped) UÊ Don’t be afraid of structure, but don’t control – have a clear structure at the beginning, a basic set of rules that everyone has agreed; set clear boundaries which respect people, property and space; need a level of organisation to help set realistic goals UÊ Establish a culture of honesty, openness, trust and loyalty UÊ Ensure effective communication, good leadership and delegation skills
UÊ Meet your neighbours – get to know people UÊ Food – community meals UÊ Be ambassadors – ‘Each One, Reach One’ UÊ Whole family involvement UÊ Safety is important – make it safe for people UÊ Build confidence steadily UÊ Include budgeting skills UÊ Focus on communication skills UÊ Value contributions of all kinds – reward, respect for each other, common courtesy UÊ Keep a balance – don’t let funding control your projects UÊ A sense of future growth UÊ It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it!
UÊ No time restriction, freedom to come and go – a good social space, an open door policy UÊ You need a good community worker with the right skills, who holds it together and welcomes everyone UÊ Have a good administrator who looks after grant aid UÊ Keep it simple, but make it big UÊ Listen to the birds – peace – a place to pray 39
Awards Received Nominated for Co-operation Ireland’s Pride of Place 2010 awards by Cork City Council. Co-Runner up award in Cork City’s Lord Mayor’s 2011 Community and Voluntary awards in the category ‘Equality and Social Inclusion’. Most collaborative event organiser for Aontas nationwide Adult Learning Festival 2011
Special thanks to Eimear Fitzgerald, Hilary Quinn & Patricia Keane for many of the photos.
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‘It combines conservation and new life – it is very exciting’ ‘There is an amazing energy when groups get together – the goodwill – the openness – the great ideas – the community effort’ ‘If I could round up the kids who were involved in the original consultation, they would recognise what they had suggested’ – ‘the place has come back to life’ ‘A place where people dare to dream and find support’ ‘… exactly what society needs now’ South Presentation, Evergreen Street, Cork City 021 432 23780 · www.southpres.ie