“The future is not an inheritance, it is an
opportunity and an obligation.” Bill Clinton
Perhaps it’s a little brave (and embarrassingly cliché) to use a politician’s quote to start this post, but I was really attracted by the opportunity and obligation that ‘Teflon Bill’ refers to here. It is particularly relevant to our activities this week. The team has been a part of some great examples of local people and groups making the most of opportunities to improve their areas for future generations.
 |
| Prince Charles approves... |
I have been attending the Prince Charles
endorsed Enquiry
by Design Ham Close visioning events. There is a huge opportunity for Ham on the table through our Uplift programme,
so it’s worth spending time on getting it right. I’d describe the process as
being a little slow ,but very authentic. ‘Slow’ may sound critical, but
(and I do love a terrible analogy) for me it was like instant vs. fresh brewed
coffee - both are coffee, but one is simply better.
What I mean is that, whilst slower, taking this participatory
approach gets a better result for the community. Whatever the outcome from the process, it has been thorough and I've heard some really interesting things about Ham's history, present concerns and ideas for the future. The outcomes will be grounded (no coffee pun intended) in grassroots, local input.
Lynette has been involved in similar things
in Barnes. She told me it was great to see so many local residents turn up to
support the Barnes Ponder Community Meeting on Monday evening. Lots of
great ideas were formed on how to take the Ponder outcomes forward, including
suggestions of having a sensory garden in one of the parks. She’s really
looking forward to working with Emma and the Barnes Town Team, the Barnes Community Association
and local residents to turn their ideas in a reality.
I’ll finish with a suggestion for any people involved in community engagement to read
a blog post from Kate Goodall. Quite amusing, and top tips to remember when we are asking people what they want. It can be a dangerous, and misleading question!
(Thanks to Tom in our comms team for the link
to this… I’ve always thought it was a cog.)
No comments:
Post a Comment