The Power of Local Networks

Local people have the most powerful networks. They have the local knowledge and the local relationships to build alliances and make things happen on the ground. But often they do not recognise how much these networks are worth.

In a local community there is often only 2-degrees of separation between everyone. It is possible for the service user to know the local politician or the local business owner either directly or through one other contact.

How can local people use their networks to take control of their lives and promote their voices?

Public action is most effective when local people organise together. And when they use the diverse talents and skills that exist within their networks. The example of Menqual which I blogged about recently shows what people in Middlesbrough have been able to do together.

I get frustrated when I see powerful outside organisations harvest or benefit from these local networks without giving anything back. They rely on the introductions and the trust established within local networks to be able to meet and research with local people. Their products are then sold or promoted for their own benefit but would have been impossible to produce without the openness and willingness of people to engage.

How can local people own their networks? How can we ensure that powerful outside agencies respect and value these networks?

I have found that bringing local people together to map and share their local networks together is a powerful way to capture the breadth of their connections. Mapping is a very visible tool and can represent a network in a direct way.

Below is a presentation I gave about using mapping to capture and promote local networks. It comes from part of a wider public action programme I was part of.

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Menqual - My Admiration for the Mental Health Service Users of Middlesbrough

I had the pleasure of returning to Middlesbrough in early May to see the mental health service user led forum called Menqual.

The group have been running for over 2 years now and are making sure that the service user voice is heard within the wider policy context. One great thing they have achieved is a service users charter for employment. It tells the story of what service users need and want from employers and shows that people with mental health problems can be great employees.

The charter took a lot of work and preparation. There were many different perspectives and lots of debate about the best way to produce it. But they had the support of some powerful stakeholders including the mayor. Now published, the charter is being promoted and shared with employers, employment agencies and local people.

Menqual say that work is one of the most important things for service users. It helps lift people out of poverty and supports recovery. It is also important for identity and self-esteem.

Reflecting on the journey of Menqual is interesting for me. I worked with local people to start the group back in 2006 with a series of workshops and open events. Since then the group has had active and quieter periods. But despite this it has continued to operate and make a difference. I have learned a lot of valuable lessons from the group and it has given me a chance to be involved in some very direct, local public action.

Participatory forums often have their own rhythms and life cycles. Reflection can be balanced with public action, as can activities such as campaigning with periods of learning.

I always enjoy visiting Menqual in Middlesbrough. They are a great example of what local people can do with few financial resources. The journey for social change is not a sprint - and Menqual are in it for the long term.

Definition of a Blogger

I just have to share this wonderful definition of a blogger. I found it in a book I was glancing through the other day with the rather pompous title of ‘Be Your Own Spin Doctor’. And to be honest it is not a very good book and not one I would recommend - it is quite simplistic and ironically I did not find it that well written.

Anyway, at the end of the book there is as usual a glossary. Some of it is quite helpful with definitions of terms used by journalists and PR professionals. But hidden in this list there is one reference (and only one reference) to new media - a definition of the word ‘blog’. I will reproduce the definition from the book in full because it made me laugh out loud:

Blog: a ‘weblog’. An online diary or running commentary, often written by cranks, egotists or obsessives, with some notable exceptions. (Page 175, Richards 2005)

Wow - my first reaction was I wonder which of these am I? I am sure I would not come under the list of notable exceptions. My second reaction was how dated this definition is and how far we have moved in how we understand the internet and social media. The book was originally published in 1998 but the text I was reading from was an updated 2005 edition.

I don’t want to leave you without a positive alternative to this. So I will recommend Chris Rose’s How to Win Campaigns as a good book on communications. On the internet, the blogs CopyBlogger and ProBlogger are good places to get up-to-date advice and inspiration for blogging.

But a word of warning - reading these and other blogs can become quite addictive. Much like checking your email every 30 seconds. So maybe Richards’ label of ‘obessive’ is not too far from the truth.

Participation, Parental Engagement and Technology

I am making the following presentation at the KidSmart conference on Monday. 

It explores ways that parents and practitioners can work together to promote participation both in early years services and children's learning. It is based on the National Children's Bureau PEAL project (www.peal.org.uk) and captures a particular aspect of the work which has used a variety of technologies including video, digital photography and mobile phones. 

Case studies come from some of the most disadvantaged communities across England and demonstrate that families are able to use technology to empower themselves and gain insight to how their children learn and grow.

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Participation, Parental Involvement and Technology - Lessons from the PEAL Project and Beyond

SlideShare Link

The Many Meanings of Participation

I have been thinking about the word participation. It can mean so many different things. When talking to others it quickly becomes clear that different people can see participation in a variety of ways. This is not a problem - it is interesting and part of the richness of the idea.

I am not necessarily thinking here about firm definitions of participation. They can be helpful but often they only describe one dimension of the term. So I have taken a step back and begun to think what I mean by participation. Is it a concept? Is it a set of tools? Is it a value? Is it something else too?

One way I find it helpful to think about ideas is to use a mind map. I like the fact that maps do not have to be linear. This allows them to capture the complexity and diversity of a term.

So here is my map of participation. I don't think it is exhaustive by any means. But it does start to help me think of the different areas and levels participation can cover.

Click to see a larger version of the map.

10 Public Action Tools on the Computer

I thought I would share ten tools I regularly use on the computer to promote public action. The sites make my work a bit more efficient. They enable me to network and share with others both at a local level and beyond. I won’t focus on the most common sites - Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and all that - because they are already well documented. Instead I will write about a few lesser known sites and tools that offer some really useful functions for the local activist.

1. Qipit - send photos of flipcharts, graffiti walls, mapping and other materials and get them turned in to editable PDFs and graphics. Very useful for including in your reports and as part of a local evidence base.

2. Nabble - to set up a free discussion forum on any topic. Great for discussing public action and local issues. Embed it in your existing website.

3. Beth’s Blog is a good place to keep up to date with the latest news and innovations in the social media and not-for-profit sector around the world.

4. Mac Speech. I am not a good editor. I find it hard to read my own writing and I always seem to miss my mistakes or poor grammar. For years I have begged others to read and edit my text. This can try the patience of people near to me as I often ask them at short notice and in a rush. It also wastes paper as I tend to print out a draft of my writing for others. The speech function on my Mac has changed all this. The Mac reads my text to me. It makes editing easy as you can hear your writing in the voice of another. Very revealing and very powerful.

5. Slide Share is a great place to post your presentations and PowerPoints. It is an even better place to find and read other peoples’.

6. Lifehacker is a good blog for all kinds of shortcuts and productivity tools - otherwise know as lifehacks.

7. Google Docs is a free service that provides a word processor and spreadsheet programmes online. As well as being a real alternative to buying these products, the best feature is that you can make your documents public and invite others to contribute to them. It is a great way for team working and involving a network of people in the development of a report, fundraising application, planning document or news release. You can also produce online questionnaires and petitions that are automatically collated on a central spreadsheet as people respond individually by email.

8. Twitter - microblogging using SMS text messaging. A powerful way to coordinate a local networks and organise public action. By getting everyone to sign up to Twitter and then creating a themed network it is easy to communicate with all your fellow activists. Imagine seeing a situation on the street where you wanted to quickly share some information to all other local interested parties. Twitter can mobilise action. And it is free.

9. Set up and host your own wiki for free with wikispaces. This lets you build and share an information site on all kinds of topics from disability rights to patient activism. Other activists can then contribute to the development of the knowledge base.

10. LinkedIn - a social network combined with a community for people wanting to sell and trade their skills. Lots of voluntary sector and charity workers are there as well as a diverse group of other professionals. A good place to find a communications specialist or a human rights advisor for your projects.

And as a bonus site - Doodle is a great way to coordinate diaries with other activists.

Much local activism is low resourced. Often we have to work with little investment and divide our time between the day job and our activism. These tools have helped me be more efficient and make the most of my investment of time. I hope they are helpful. I am always interested in any other tools out there. Subscribing to the RSS feeds of different blogs is also a good way to stay in touch with new tools.

Comparing Childcare Systems in the UK and Japan - A Meeting

I was lucky to spend some time with two visiting Japanese Professors during their visit to a National Childminding Association workshop in Marble Arch, London last month. Professors Abe Kazuko and Mikiko Tabu are both regular visitors to the UK and have a fascinating insight into the differences of our respective childcare systems. They have been doing some comparative research on the role and training of childminders and were particularly interested in the training techniques and tools used by the PEAL (Parents, Early Years and Learning) workshops.

The two Professors spent the day participating the workshops - and how good it is to report their enthusiastic involvement with the discussions, throwing themselves into all the exercises and role plays - and making notes for their ongoing research.
At the end of the day we had time to sit down and discuss their work. They also took the opportunity to interview colleagues and myself for their research.

We exchanged business cards as is usual during these kinds of meetings. But I was struck by the beauty and elegance of the Japanese cards. They were so much more than the utilitarian card I happily give out to anyone with a passing interest in my work. They were on fine paper with delicate Japanese designs and embossed with symbols. I find the Japanese script fascinating - almost an art form in itself. The cards were in both Japanese and English. It felt like I was being given a gift rather than just another business card for my collection.