A community project start is delayed so I have some materials building up and this is a post sharing one of them.
Three workshops for a community
The community development project is using workshops to explore where people are now and where they hope to be. From my experience with both civic assemblies and hopeful future imagination design sessions, we need to move carefully thru time.
This diagram is the main structure.
- Well Grounded in Pasts
- Well Guided in Present
- Well Anchored in Futures
It is the opening workshop, the Well Grounded, that is relevant here.
How to root people in their emotional sense of pasts that affect any sense of present or futures.
Clear/Mix
Clear/Mix is one way of thinking of the opening workshop structure.
Clear
Organisations need to be clear what they are asking. Too often, too many questions are asked and they are all from perspective of the organisation.
Spending time before the workshop finding clear questions that are from the participant perspective:
- Relevant
- Understandable
- Answerable
The poster is a worksheet we may use. Trying to place people’s answers in some explicit shared structure that is visible to all.
Mix
The sessions need to be a mix of people who feel comfortable in the place. This enables the mix of stories and emotions to be shared. This is the power of diversity.
Yet the time together also starts in being a place that is welcoming and kind.
For people to talk, listen and share ideas and stories, they need to be comfortable. Food and drink is at the centre of any such workshop.
It’s a start
Clear/Mix is just a reminder to think of what needs to be planned, discussed and resourced before a workshop. The facilitation on the day in founded in the preparation.