This week it is European Local Democracy Week (ELDW). This pan European event is targeted specifically at local and regional authorities (local communities, cities, municipalities, provinces, regions). The general aim is to promote and foster democratic participation at a local level throughout public initiatives which involve citizens.

“Local democracy: building trust. Co-designing local democracy together with citizens and practicing open government” is the leading theme of 2020.

Coinciding with this week’s events we had a planning meeting today, to co-create training for the EUROSPECTIVES 2.0. This is an Erasmus Plus project that we are working on with other European partners 

This is inspiring Erasmus project brings together knowledge, experience and skills from a number of EU organisations, from Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy and the UK.  Getting our heads together and co-creating a Digital Storytelling curriculum for non-formal and formal educators, facilitators and activists. 

Despite the pandemic we are moving forward using online platforms, and today we had a meeting to plan blended training for the new year. We are all itching to get started and test out our modules and sessions. 

#ErasmusDays  #ErasmusDays2020  #ErasmusPlus #Europe #edchat #edtech #edpolicy #edreform #teachers #openaccess #OER #STEAM #STEM #artsed #elearning #classroom #teachers #cpchat  

Digital Collaborations was the final event of Doing It With Others: Why Proper Collaboration Really Matters, the ICR’s second annual conference and, with circumstances being what they are, it couldn’t have been more apt.

Held as an online knowledge exchange, the event was a chance to talk about one of the European projects on which PVM is a partner: Co-Engage, although naturally the talk also turned to the necessity of digital collaboration as we live through the age of COVID-19.

The panel of speakers included Martin Barthel (CRN), Belén Fernandez (l’Échappée des Copropriétés), and PVM’s own Hayley Trowbridge. Martin gave a great overview of the Co-Engage, a project bringing together a range of best practices for engaging citizens across Europe, which the participants were very excited about. Next, Belén posed questions on her own experience of taking her work online – an environment to which it’s not normally suited – during the global pandemic. The participants found this very engaging and there was much discussion on whether we’re evolving online consciously, or whether we are being pushed by circumstance into something less than ideal. Finally, Hayley spoke on taking storytelling online, reflecting on what PVM has learned over the last few months and the tools we’ve been using.

After our panel spoke, we opened the virtual floor to a lively and interesting discussion on our own experiences of and musings on digital collaborations. It was exciting to see so many new collaborations forming, both in the main room and in the text chat, with participants networking with each other and forming new connections.

Digital Collaborations was a great way to end what had proved to be a very different annual conference. It was our most international event, with UK participants joined by those from Germany, France, Hungary and even Australia (this is the furthest flung participant we’ve ever had, as well as the latest anyone has ever stayed up for one of our events!). It brought up interesting questions and endless debate during a time when digital collaborations have become an absolute necessity.

Hello Everyone! Hayley here from the People’s Voice Media team.

Whilst I now may be a little ‘zoomed out’, I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this year’s Institute of Community Reporters’ conference possible. Thank you to every speaker and workshop leader. Also a BIG thank you to all of you who came, shared your ideas, energy and enthusiasm for collaboration, co-production, co-creation… or whatever we call it when we work together to do awesome stuff!

Running through the different events, it was clear that there is a growing push for us to ‘be more human’ (I’ve stolen a Camerados slogan here). It seems that more and more of us are wanting to get back to basics, to connect with folk in very real (even if digital) ways. We discussed the things that may be wrong with our worlds and the institutions and infrastructures that govern them… but we also shared experiences of when humanity is at its best. There were also spaces created in which we could own our own lack of knowledge, challenge each other and learn from others – I hope we can continue to create these spaces and strengthen them in the future. What came through is how important those environments are and how we always need to be reflecting on what we do and why we do it. We should be more open to criticism and see that as a learning opportunity, not a negative (I’m personally trying to work on this!). We need to get more ‘comfortable’ with the ‘uncomfortable’ and be open to having our perspectives questioned. After all if we can’t do that with one another – who is going to watch the watchmen? 😉

With all the events done, I’m left with two feelings. Firstly, the feedback we have had on our work – what’s going right and where we can be better – has boosted my energy and given me ideas to take forward. It has left me and other members of the team ‘buzzing’ to see how people are connecting with storytelling and its potential to create real change. Secondly, and this is perhaps what I am most grateful for on a personal level, is that I feel less alone. There were many of you who popped-up at various events and connecting with you has made me feel less of a lone wolf, and more like a member of a pack. Let’s keep working together. x

“Nobody has a voice – only those in power at the unemployment services. With one strike of a pen they mess up your lives.”

Positively or negatively, services have direct impact on people’s lives and this means that the people working in services, regardless of position, have a relative degree of power. Power isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Having the power to change something for the better and using such power to do so, is something we should all be striving to do in our lives. Where power is problematic, is when it is distributed in vastly inequitable ways. It is problematic when people making decisions – those with the ‘pen’ – make such choices at a distance from the people whom those decisions affect. It is problematic when this void leads to decision-making without empathy and a prioritising of process over people. Ultimately this leads to poor decision-making and ineffective services. Our work across the UK and Europe involves gathering stories about how people experience the world. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve noticed a concerning trend amongst a significant proportion of people’s stories when they are talking about experiences of services. These stories span different communities, countries and sectors and collectively they have shown us that we need to ‘rehumanise’ services and put people back at their centre. In many instances, process has replaced common sense, and protocol has replaced humanity. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this need to re-evaluate how our services function has never been greater. Physically we may be more distanced than ever before, so we must work harder to build connections at a human level. In short, we must step out from behind the spreadsheet and connect at an emotional level in order to move forward. This briefing therefore argues that services should focus on the building of relationships, not the building of systems.

Part of my role at PVM is to manage an exciting European project called Concrit. 

The aim of the pan European project is to create new educational tools to train, teach and empower communities. Specifically, concentrating on critical thinking and the construction and de-construction of narratives through digital storytelling. The aim being to strengthen the self-confidence of the learners, empowering them to grow in self-confidence, find their own collective voice and to strengthen a sense for local action.

Last week, Concrits second Trans National Partnership meeting took place, it was hosted in the fair port city of Gydnia, in Poland. It was great to catch up with partners and although I attended online, I imagined myself enjoying the sea breeze and maybe a poroggi (delicious Polish dumpling) or two. 

Despite the meeting being blended (online and in person) it went very well using a number of platforms, such as Jitsi and Zoom. We also used the virtual whiteboard application Miro Board. This is an excellent tool to collaborate on and to share information and ideas.

During the meeting we found out what specific group each partner will be working with. There are a varied mix of groups, including; parents and families, homeless people, people with mental health issues, migrant workers, older people in a remote rural setting and an urban neighbourhood. 

An important element of this project is to conduct a thorough, useful and inclusive needs assessment for each community. Part of my role is to design this. During the meeting we collectively looked at it and made some tweaks and changes to it, using the Miro board. 

The plan now, is to work with our communities to discover what their needs are, what learning gaps there are, if any. Then we will design specific inclusive learning paths for these specific communities, developing them and then testing them out when we meet again at the training labs in December.

Watch this space.

Kath Peters – PVM Concrit Project Manager