In-person meetings were held at Staffordshire University in Shelton and at the Expert Citizens office, in Stoke on Trent. Members of the steering group have helped to plan and run workshops for the project, using their skills and knowledge to help people from the local community to tell their own stories, share experiences, and give their views on poverty and hardship in Stoke-on-Trent.
Collecting Stories in creative ways When we started meeting, the steering group talked about how important it is for us to share people’s stories when we talk about poverty and hardship. Statistics and numbers on poverty and hardship are important but they do not explore the true experiences and trade-offs that people have day-to-day. Stories bring numbers to life and make it easier to imagine what it is like to live with poverty. It was extremely important to focus on collecting stories in lots of different and create ways. We had to think about the rules about keeping people safe in the COVID pandemic and what could make it difficult for people to take part. We had some ways for people to take part online, at home, by post and at small events in different places in the community. People have made a wide range of things to help tell their stories and share their ideas with other people. These include postcards, poems, audio podcast, photographs, clay tiles, and well-being tips.
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