Over the past 6 months, People’s Voice Media have been delivering a series of Ripple Effect Mapping Workshops and Storytelling Sessions with members of the Camerados Public Living Room movement.

Camerados is a social movement – which really just means that there are lots and lots of people (from Baltimore to Blackpool) who think being a bit more human is a good idea. The movement started in 2015 and the main thing you’ll see them doing is opening Public Living Rooms in different communities across the world.

What is a Public Living Room?

A public living room is an agenda free space for communities of people to come together, sit down with a cuppa, have a chat, and feel more human. It’s as simple as that!

So far there have been handful of online ripple effect mapping workshops and storytelling sessions. In these spaces representatives from different public living rooms have come together to reflect on what impact they’ve had in their local communities. Not only have they shared stories, but they’ve been busy producing Ripple Effect Maps.

What is Ripple Effect Mapping?

Ripple Effect Mapping is a technique that can be used by community organisations to measure and record the different levels of change that have happened as a result of their existence. Rather than focusing on numbers and statistics, REM helps to unpick and document the more qualitative ripples of impact that often occur in smaller scale community initiatives, but can be harder to monitor using quantitative means.

As part of the REM process, people mapped out the different forms of impact their public living rooms had led to. From boosting confidence in those who attended, to connecting people with wider community initiatives, there were endless ripples of impact. After noting these ideas down, people then began to categorize the impact based on individual, community and societal level change (hence the colourful dots you’ll see on the example maps above!) – this process helps people to visualize changes that otherwise would’ve been difficult to document. After the mapping process was complete each person reflected on their map by sharing their thoughts in the form of a story. By the end of the session we’d gained a deeper understanding of the intricacys of the PLRs and what impact they’d had on the communities they existed in.

Take a look at the photos above to get an idea of what a ripple effect map looks like!

From Rochdale, Greater Manchester to Boston, Massachussets, people have shared their experiences with setting up and running these spaces. We hope to share these experiences and findings more widely within the Camerados movement in the hopes of inspiring more public living rooms.

Keep your eyes peeled for updates on the finding of of this project!

You can find out more about the Camerados movement by visiting their website here.

Back in September, PVM team members Sarah & Georgia headed to Wrocław’s Instytut Kultury for three days of project meetings, policy seminars & conference activities.

We kicked things off by revisiting different work packages and exploring the key learning that have been produced as part of the project so far. It was great to see what progress has been made by each of the partners and to hear their thoughts on the findings.

We rounded day one off with an interactive city game, exploring different areas of the town centre in search of the iconic dwarf statues.

On day three we joined project partners in hosting a conference on ‘The Radical Side of Participation’. As part of this, PVM delivered a SWOT analysis activity reflecting on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the City of the Future map.

You can take a look at the map for yourself below:

We also heard from scholars, researchers, activists, city representatives and citizens who led discussions on participation in it’s many forms and the unique variations which exist across our communities.

Find out more about the project over on the EAURENAS website here.

In the bustling heart of the Black Country, a transformative initiative is stirring waves of change, reshaping our interactions with healthcare systems. The partnership between People’s Voice Media and Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action has created the space for an inspiring endeavor: Community Reporting within the Black Country Integrated Care System.

In a world where countless stories often go unheard, Community Reporting emerges as a beacon of change. This visionary project bridges the gap between citizens and healthcare systems, capturing the everyday experiences of those accessing health services. It illuminates the intricate nuances that shape our interactions within the healthcare and care systems, enabling local people to have a voice.

On Day 1 of the workshop, seven local individuals embarked on a transformative journey. With fervent curiosity, they delved into the world of Community Reporting. Techniques such as snapshot storytelling took centre stage, showcasing diverse ways stories can be woven, captured, and shared. 

At the core of Community Reporting lies the belief that every voice holds value. This principle reverberates throughout the process, linking stories with individuals and organisations capable of driving positive change. It weaves a rich narrative tapestry, offering a real world view of lived experiences that might otherwise remain unheard.

Beyond traditional healthcare boundaries, this two-year project overflows with innovation. The Integrated Care System framework finds a potent ally in Community Reporting, identifying what works and unravelling transformational opportunities. The project promises to infuse the Black Country’s healthcare landscape with a vital wave of innovation.

As we navigate this inspiring narrative, the potential for profound change becomes evident. Community Reporting empowers individuals and communities, forging connections, and nurturing empathy. Together, as participants, storytellers, and advocates, we amplify voices. We are crafting a future where every lived experience contributes to a healthier, more inclusive society.

Join the team at People’s Voice Media and members of the Community Reporter network as we host our 2nd online catch up of 2023.

People’s Voice Media hosts 2 online catch-ups per year for the people, groups and organisations that make-up the Community Reporter network. These meetups are a great way for members to keep up-to-date with what is happening in the Community Reporter network, learn new stuff, share expertise, exchange knowledge, find out about opportunities they can get involved in, meet other members, network and much more and connect to other peers.

And if you’re not a member of the Community Reporter network… then don’t worry – you can still come along and find out more about us! Everyone is welcome and we are always looking for new members.

It’s only an hour, so grab a brew and a biscuit if you like, log on and find out what exciting stuff is happening across our network! This will be held on Zoom.

You can sign up to get involved through eventbrite (we’ve conveniently included a checkout link below) and best of all it’s free!

If you’d like a little more information about what we’ll be discussing – you can find that here.

Financially supported places

A quick heads up – we have 2 financially supported places available for this catch-up that will be allocated on a first-come, first-allocated basis. The financial support is up to a maximum of £25.00. This can be used to cover:

1. Expenses such as childcare costs etc. that you incur through attending the meet-up. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an expenses form and receipts.

2. Other support costs such as a PA to support you to attend. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an expenses form and receipt OR ask your support to invoice us directly.

3. Internet costs – These can be paid at a rate of £5.00 per hour, or if you are purchasing a online connection for this session (i.e., internet cafe etc.) then you can claim the full cost, up to £25.00 with a receipt via an expense form.

4. Contribution fee. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an invoice and be responsible for your own tax and insurance as a self-employed person.

To request a financially supported place, please indicate this on the registration form and our team will get in touch before the meet-up with further details.

Back in July, PVM hosted our 5th annual Community Reporter Network Conference at 54 St James Street in Liverpool.

The day included a series of workshops which explored community reporting and lived experience storytelling, with a focus on creating equitable futures.

We were joined by members of the community reporter network, project partners, and people from across the UK and Europe. It was great seeing so many faces, some familiar and some brand new to the movement.

The day kicked off with two workshops, one focusing on sharing the findings of the HOME? Project and the other providing an introduction to Community Reporting (the storytelling technique we use here at PVM).

After a short morning break we got stuck into exploring the finding of the EUARENAS Project , sharing the recently published city of the future map. The map lays out a vision of a future city where participatory democracy has been able to thrive – you can view the map and find out more by following the hyperlink above.

Disability Rights UK showcased the findings from a storytelling project looking at the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Deaf and Disabled People. They invited people in the space to think about our own role in restorative practice as society recovers from the pandemic. It was an important and thought provoking session and a huge thank you goes out to the staff and storytellers for their time, energy and commitment to the project.

After lunch we delved into the future of data collection and impact measurement – exploring how people’s voices can play an integral role in measuring change in communities. PVM and NOI Project project partners shared techniques from their recently published toolkit (the culmination of the 3 year project) demonstrating how storytelling can be used as a tool for measuring change.

Our friends at Groundswell captivated the room with an interactive workshop exploring the complexities of advocating for your rights while experiencing homelessness. Through providing real world scenarios, they created an environment in which you could place yourself in the position of someone experiencing homelessness trying to access support for your health. An eye opening session which highlighted the challenges and systems people are forced to navigate when placed in a vulnerable positions.

We’re now in the process of gathering feedback on the conference. The team are currently conducting reflective interviews with the people who attended. These experiences will feed into creating next years conference, along with the thoughts and suggestions collected during the ‘Future of Community Reporting’ workshop which ended the days activities.

We can’t wait to hear about how people found the day and feel excited about getting started with the planning of next year’s conference.

Keep your eyes peeled on our social media pages and the blog, as we’ll be announcing updates on the next CR catch up which is taking place later this year.

Until then, that’s a wrap from us!