BRACKET SALONSIssue#2

Launching a community engagement programme

a Bracket initiative

Bracket Salons are our way of showing what can happen in a short space of time when you bring together a selected team of experts to brainstorm and explore a topic. We provide a synthesis of the discussion here, and invite you to hire the team to work on a project within your company.

“This event brought together a team of problem solvers who are

passionate about using creativity and design to provide innovative

programmes and activities to support local communities.”

As a council looking to engage and support a local community, or a company about to launch a CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative, there are a range of challenges that you might face in ensuring its success.The initial challenge is in identifying the scale that you should work to. Either too big or too small can fail to make the impact that you intend.A multicultural city like London will have different problems that could be addressed, and different layers to them. Each community has its own issues which can make it difficult to scale such a project. Empowering a community through a social innovation project is integral to its success, so choosing the right engagement methods for this is vital.The key is in understanding the problem, and involving groups of people to find their mutual needs.

Even then, collaboration between these groups can be difficult.Creative thinkers and designers can play an important role in facilitating trust between multiple parties. Being involved from the beginning to end, they can use their understanding of people (psychology and sociology) as a basis for enquiry to understand their needs and the problem, and then generate ideas and solutions. They work as good translators - understanding the intricacies of the community, and acting as natural connectors, all while displaying value and empathy, and building trust. The secret is to start small and on the ground.

The PROCESS

1. Choose the communityAfter a stage of scoping existing programmes, you can explore the

range of communities to work with. Start with those that have more

of a sense of community and openness, and a number of issues

that relate to a wide area.

You will want to find somewhere that has enough cohesion to

access and talk to people as a unit - e.g. a small estate, or around

450 people.

2. Understand the problem and create engagementYour aim is to try to make a community work better, so you need

to understand its current situation. Create a way of being in a place

without having a strong presence - e.g. living there so that you’re

not perceived as a stranger. The important thing is not to create

a division which shouts “you have a problem” to the community.

Peer support will be an important part of the initial community

building, which will hopefully lead to creating long-term and

strategic change. Then create a value proposition for users, with

clarity on how and why the project is going to improve their

community.

3. Research and facilitationUsing psychology to look at behaviour, this is the stage for

gathering information, understanding issues, conducting interviews

and facilitating workshops. Use recordings to observe, and

translate the findings for budget holders.

4. Empower the community through communicationThroughout the project you will engage in small pieces of

communications and develop products which give your community

the real-time story of how everything is unfolding. This might be a

micro-site, online platform or social media account like Twitter that

people can comment through. However, it might be a challenge

to get people to use this, so don’t forget the effectiveness and

importance of face-to-face in collecting data.

5. Ideate, design and prototypeAlthough you are looking to generate creative ideas for the

solution, the creative process starts with the methods that you use

in your research and to engage the community - e.g. filming to

gather information, events, creating a micro-site for interaction.

For the final idea, it is more important for it to be applicable, than

‘novel’. There are so many challenges in positive social innovation,

that the aim for the project is for it to be practical,

implemented and accepted.

6. Brand and deliverThe final stage of this process is creating a story to tell and the

visual brand that makes your idea attractive and valuable to the

community. This might also be useful in attracting partners and

further sponsors.

Jonny Weston.Brand strategy consultant.Jonny has a background in helping to commission social innovation projects. He now works mainly with the public and third sectors developing innovative approaches to education, health, regeneration and social exclusion.

Marta Carrera.Sustainable designer.Marta studied MA Eco Design at Polytechnic University of Turin and is interested in using social innovation and design thinking to get communities together to address their needs, particularly in the areas of employment, elderly people and family support. She is currently working at Sustain RCA at the Royal College of Art.

Janet Marrett.Film producer.Janet started a career in photography at a magazine which led her into publishing. She now mainly produces films, with extensive experience in the flexible learning sector. She has delivered a range of documentaries, self-initiated projects and commissions for the film sector. Janet’s specific expertise is in translating information into a digestible and visually engaging format.

Diego Arrellano.Creative copywriter.Diego has a degree in journalism. Before coming to London in 2010 to study an MA in Creative & Cultural Industries, he worked for newspapers and advertising agencies in Peru. During his MA, he wrote his dissertation, a critical study on the link between co-design and the public sector. Diego now works as a freelance copywriter in London mainly for Peru-based clients.

The TEAM

“Bracket is a creative collaboration agency.

We use creative collaboration to help businesses develop and deliver

new ideas for growth and innovation.

We build hand-picked specialist teams from our network of experts

for ideas generation, concept development, problem solving, strategy

creation and implementation.”

For more information, or to hire this team, contact:

Alison Coward | Founder

BracketW: www.bracketcreative.o.uk

E: alison@bracketcreative.co.uk

T: +44 (0) 7903654149

Launch your community

engagement programme!