New Year’s resolution – Ask yourself – What do I love to do?

When we talk about building vibrant and welcoming communities we put the discovery of people’s gifts and talents at the heart of the process. The discovery of these however, provides us with only half the story – when we couple these with finding out people’s passions, interests – what they really care about – then these people can become empowered. What one earth has this got to do with New Year’s Resolutions? I’ll try to explain…

Pressure!

On the 1^st January, I received a number of texts from well-wishing friends and family, asking what New Year’s resolutions I had made for 2015. The problem was that I didn’t really make any. The last one I achieved was 2 years ago, which was learning how to do cryptic crosswords.

Most resolutions I heard from them were things like ‘save money’, ‘lose weight’, ‘get fit’, and although the sentiment is admirable, it is important to ask, through all of this, where is the enjoyment? Why do we frame the resolutions we as punishments with vague, unending timeframes?

Could we be encouraged to put at the top of our resolutions to do something this year, that we really love doing or really care about? Rather than ‘save money’ we could say ‘join a writer’s group’ or instead of ‘lose weight’ we could say, ‘have people round for dinner’, or instead or get fit, maybe ‘play football’ or play a round of golf, go to the beach, ride a bike, join a choir etc.!

In terms of our own wellbeing, there is evidence to say that doing the things we enjoy improves health, especially if it is with other people.  It is no surprise that research has happiness being linked to a reduced risk of death, and wellbeing linked to physical health such as lower blood pressure. Doing the things that we enjoy, helps us to enjoy our lives. This can be even more pronounced when we include others because as humans, we are naturally social creatures. When we connect with other people around an interest, we build our social networks, and this improves our happiness.

So receiving the texts I considered a conversation I had with a family member last year who had to take 8 weeks off sick after a heart attack. Following Doctor’s orders, this person had begun to change diet, do a little more exercise, get more sleep etc. but when the conversation carried on we discovered how little ‘down-time’ they gave themselves each week to do the things that they truly enjoyed – cycling and playing guitar (not at the same time obviously!). What was interesting is that now, that person has not only begun to spend time each week doing these things, but through this, has discovered new social connections within their community, as well as becoming involved in neighbourhood issues, sharing their gifts and skills with others.

…not advisable

So when we consider the year ahead, lets consider the things we love to do so much that we can just get lost in them, and how we can do this with other people. Connecting with others this way can shape communities in unpredictable ways, and who knows, the benefits might last longer than the ‘get fit’ programme we all started in January and dropped out of in Feb!

Rugby kids tackle dog mess!

You can be polite and call it “dirt” you can call it “mess” you can call it “poo” – but when you get it on your shoe it is definitely “Sh!t!”

Whatever you call it the leavings of local pooches are always high on the agenda of any community “hate” list. No matter how you broach the subject it will come up as a definite deficit for an area. So in adopting an ABCD approach how do communities change this whilst focusing on their assets? This blog will tell the story of how a group brought together around a love of rugby could set their agenda to make positive change in their community.

Despite having the obligatory (and tiny) “No Dog Fouling!” signs and a large, purpose-build bin as an obvious receptacle for the offensive substance, the area is absolutely covered in dog mess. The green-space was certainly first choice for ‘head coach’ Stuart, wanting to use his passion for working with kids and his love of rugby to good use in the community. So before kick-off the first task was to tool-up with “poop-bags” in hand and scour the grass for the odious objects, making the space more suitable for young kids to be running and chasing and sliding and falling and laughing – ie what the space was intended for!

Many poop-bags were collected along with the other debris that had accumulated in the space and heaped beside the bench for later disposal. Despite combined efforts the whole green couldn’t be covered, so the section that was clear for the kids to play on was coned off.

However, with over twenty kids tearing about the grass in a full-on touch rugby session, staying within the “safe” area was proving difficult and Stuart had to appoint some of the adults who had gathered as “touch-judges” to shepherd the kids back into the coned section. Well beyond the regular duties of a touch judge were the necessary screams of “watch the dog mess” and “you’ll get poop on your shoe!” Although the families found an immediate work-around it was quite obvious this would require more than just coning-off an area to put things right!

So as the night drew to a close coach pulled in the squad for a post-match debrief. The group agreed on Stuart’s suggestion to get some ‘clear up after your dog’ posters ready for the next session that could be tied to the benches surrounding this make-shift rugby pitch.

From a Community Builders viewpoint, we did not at any point raise the dog mess as an “issue” or point for conversation, or ask if people wanted to do anything about it. The grassy area was no longer just an empty space with some benches randomly placed – it was now a rugby training facility used by two dozen local children. The focus was not on the dog mess as a deficit to the area but on how it’s removal would improve the green-space as a positive community asset.

We’ll keep you up to date with how this unfolds….

THE PRODUCERS

I love the movie, ‘The Producers,’ especially the original by Mel Brooks.  It seems crazy to link my work to what is a riotous, anarchic and very funny movie.  But, interestingly, the analogy works well in exposing the nooks and crannies of the role of Community Builder.

The role is somewhat new and has a pioneering touch, style and flavour about it.  The unknown element constantly confronts me as I endeavour to map my way through the uncharted waters of what makes for community by interpreting the language, traditions, culture and values.  Not being able to compare your work against a known standard is all at once frightening and liberating!  Consequently, having a visual cue or hook by which to help inform and understand what it is that I am doing is vitally important.

The role of the Producer is to create the opportunity: to set the scene by taking a story to produce a dramatic activity: a play, musical or film. This will involve funding the project, bringing people together with specific talents, gifts and skills (director, scriptwriter, camera crew, set designers, actors, etc.)  The most crucial aspect of their work is to ensure that all of the artistic talents come together as an efficient group or ‘community of talents.’  When I think about it the two roles are virtually identical!  I bring people together with similar gifts and passions.  I provide funding if necessary and replicate this approach across the area to build resilient, empowered communities.

The film artfully captures the craziness and anarchy that unravels on their rumbustious, creative romp of a journey when building their community of talents.  The net result of their efforts: the musical extravaganza: ‘Spring Time For Hitler’ somehow works!

The important lesson that I take from this is that often what emerges is infinitely better because it’s the journey that people experience when coming together that creates the magic.  I believe that this is what my colleagues and I have learned when working in Ayrshire.  People make things happen when you create the context: set the scene.  They don’t need to be led, they will come up with zany ideas and perhaps go and do things that might seem the wrong thing to do, but actually that’s what makes it work.

The Producers is an ode to the joy of theatre.  Somehow, by working together the ‘hotchpotch’ that emerges magically works out in the end!  Like the best soups whatever the recipe, it’s in the cooking process: the melding together, which produces the magic: taste heaven!  As Community Builders when we bring people together and nurture their creative talents that magical ingredient produces resilient, empowered communities.

It’s important as builders that we recognise that we create opportunity but that it’s the people who shape the story.  It might not have been what we thought it could be but by giving them the opportunity and by purposefully not leading, somehow ‘Spring Time For Hitler’ becomes more than the sum of its parts because of that magical ingredient to make it a thing of joy.

And that’s how it should be.

Bring a ball and they shall come

Just your average patch of grass? I’ll tell you how four kids, a rugby ball and this very patch of grass really could really hammer the fundamentals of Asset Based Community Development to me!

I knocked on Stuart at around 4.30pm, he invited me in for a cup of coffee and to talk about his plan. Stuart loves rugby, everyone knows he lives, eats and breathes rugby. Dig deeper though and what some might not know is that he equally cares about kids and young people in the community. Stuart’s idea was to blend these two passions together and create “Pop-up” rugby coaching at green spaces around Fullarton.

With his two wee boys in tow we hit the streets checking out some potential bits of land up for the taking! Finally in Merryvalle ( picture above), we stopped and sat down on a bench, setting the boys loose to run a riot on the potential new mini rugby pitch. Within five minutes we had attracted two more players. Without any direction they created a 2 vs 2 impromptu rugby match. For the next 20 minutes the game went on in full flow only stopped by the sun dropping away.

Well it seems obvious – give some kids a ball and they’ll play. But it’s easy to fall away into “project mode” – getting caught up in formal structures and methods and going completely over the top! Simply put, all “Pop-up” rugby needed was a ball and some grass, because, as Stuart so elegantly put it, for a (front-row) rugby player;

“Bring a ball and they shall come”

There is a lesson in this for all of us. Asset Based Community Development moves away from over-complicating the obvious and the straight-forward. In 20 minutes a group had come together, connected with a shared passion for rugby. This may not set the world alight on its own, but imagine a community full of these snippets. That’s a vibrant and exciting community with things going on!