Group Prompt: In 2030, this place is leading the way in creatively and fairly transitioning to a low-carbon future. Arts and culture are embedded in the support, encouragement and creative confidence building that empower communities to develop and deploy the tools which will shape the just transition/climate justice in their neighbourhoods. Embedded artists and residents-who-are-also-artists help to connect neighbourhoods and projects, and to communicate between them. Creative connections between communities, plus neighbourhood peer-to-peer learning, continue to grow access to the investment needed to build this network of renewable community-owned power generating stations.
Group facilitator: Lisa Franklin
The day kicked off with a palpable sense of excitement and optimism, which carried through to the first group’s discussions. They enthusiastically shared ideas and jumped straight in. The conversation was hopeful but the group found it very easy to identify existing obstacles, crucial for addressing challenges in direct relation.
Key themes emerged across both groups, including community cohesion, localised action, generosity in sharing resources, repurposing existing spaces, fostering deeper connections, empowering individuals, giving agency to people, and food sovereignty.
The second group further developed these ideas and proposed a framework with dedicated creative brokers to move ideas into positive action, akin to a green version of CCEP. They envisioned localised networks who have agency, giving power to the people with positive actions communicated effectively.
They used the following analogy: This would work like a beehive, with the creative bees collecting nectar from the flowers (the people of Coventry) and from a central hive and taking it back to a local hive to make honey that everyone benefits from (ideas, growing food etc.) To enable this, grey spaces have become green spaces with wildlife corridors existing between sustainable housing and other resources, creating the conditions for the bees to thrive.
Quick wins:
- Positive action shared effectively.
- Create a framework with designated framework actors to create action and give power back to people – beehive analogy.
- Enable grey spaces to become green spaces, consider wildlife corridors.
Transcript of post-its: from base of building (easy) to roof (harder/longer-term)
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- Different way of delivering???
- The new plans for the city – car and business led
- Money/resource
- Property Developers not interested
- Green spaces – making new green spaces. Development & Regeneration
- Get landowners to relinquish unused land to communities & creative to create green space.
- Residents are seen as / we are all experts
- Tell people they can shape their own patch of neighbourhood.
- Reduction in your council tax if you participate in neighbourhood green projects.
- Find & Space & Place – where everyone already campaigning can come together and gather more.
- Ensuring collective Decision making.
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- Positive actions communicated effectively so everyone can be aware (knowledge is power, newsletters) – quick win!
- Each neighbourhood has it’s own allotment/community garden
- Bring community hubs and organisations together to empower people
- Work with communities – agency – to create green allotment space.
- Creating Collaborative Conditions
- Creating a framework to allow ideas to move into action.
- Grey spaces have become green spaces
- Connecting decision makers with community
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- Language and other skills an be a barrier to expressing expertise
- Fostering communities where cars and speed are seen as negative.
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- Early stage build the network of trust in community.
- Exclusion for communication
- Creation clear & embedded peer-to-peer learning practices.
- Feeling excluded from the vision and delivery
- Only individuals making decisions
- Providing examples of change and models of change
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- Libraries are thriving!
- Houses for people to live in that are comfortable and fit for purpose
- Roof Gardens everywhere! People Empowered!
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- Time
- Political will
- Boundary making
The Culture Works Collective 