area and I’d heard about a woman who was a creative writer… and she ran workshops… and my mind went into solution-focused overdrive. So, we organised for the creative writing specialist and me to run a creative writing workshop in the community hall with older people. I remember explaining who I was and what we were doing and seeing so many eyes watching with anticipation. I sensed both their wisdom and experience, as well as their fragility and vulnerability.
Working in pairs, the creative writer suggested we brainstorm participants’ meaning of neighbourhood safety. After more workshopping, we began to turn ideas into stories, which the participants then shared.
I was still in my early twenties, so I didn’t have many benchmarks. But the richness of the response astonished me. Our highly effective approach was exceptional for gaining high-quality contributions to the overall neighbourhood regeneration process. And our participants were some of the community’s most vulnerable members. For example, there was Ynette. I’d expected that Ynette, the woman I was paired with, to say things about police presence, better lighting, or fewer young people hanging around in large numbers. At least, I thought that these were typical responses that we might elicit using conventional engagement tools. Ynette had different ideas altogether. Feeling safe came down to something as simple as the emergency call button she wore around her neck at home. She told a story about falling and being unable to get up. And how the little button had saved the day. And possibly saved her life.
Another participant spoke about being able to easily use the disabled parking spaces outside the shops. No hard-hitting crime worries here, simply the ability to go about his day comfortably and easily, doing what he needed to do. There was a richness to the texture of the stories we heard. Nobody wanted to leave. So we stayed for tea and cake and a demonstration of their indoor bowls prowess.
I had also found an opportunity to engage creatively with young people on this project. Working with Council’s youth workers, nine local young people, representing a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds, attended a song-writing workshop facilitated by a professional musician. The workshop began with a general brainstorming regarding participants’ impressions of safety in Granville. Then they turned their ideas into music and lyrics. Suddenly the project had a theme tune written by local young people!
Again, the contributions and insights we gathered by taking creative approaches provided a richness that amazed me. I could not imagine gaining such insights via surveys or public meetings.
We went from strength to strength. For the reporting-back stage, I hired a local filmmaker to capture both the processes and the outcomes in a short film. That way, Council decision makers heard first-hand local people’s perceptions of safety. And in those days, it was not nearly as easy as it is today to report back via video. Creative community engagement can benefit from smartphones and apps for video editing, yet creative reporting back is still relatively rare. We must never underestimate the creative art of storytelling, whatever the medium: through written word or song, or whatever. It is an incredibly valuable tool for gathering community insights.
I have always imagined that, as a left-hander, creativity comes naturally to me. Apparently, it’s something to do with the hemispheres of the brain. My creative side is certainly linked up. As a bonus, I’m ambidextrous: I write (and iron!) with my left hand but do everything else with my stronger, dominant right hand. My theory is that this gives me the creative attributes of a left-hander, combined with the logical, straightforward thinking of a right-hander.
This morning, for example, a colleague who’s planning to attend my training session tomorrow sent an SMS saying how excited she was about my pre-workshop email which featured the analogy of boarding a flight to present the information for joining the online session. I’ve found the simpler the creativity, the better. In these times, there’s so much dry content around that people jump up and down with excitement at even the simplest play on words. And all the white noise in the world means that communicating as simply and creatively as you can is a bonus.
Conversation Starters
WHO is the most creative person in your team or your community? How could they be involved to enhance your community engagement practice?
WHAT could you do to make reporting processes more creative?
WHY don’t we apply creativity and innovation to all of our community engagement practice? What stops us?
WHEN have you worked creatively? Or witnessed creativity in your own community?
WHERE have you been that is on the beaten track, and where have you been that is off the beaten track? What did you see that is different between places that are seen, and places that aren’t seen?
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