A Southerly Aspect
fresh perspectiveArchive for transition towns
facing the future
Regardless of your personal views of the monarchy, you MUST watch this years David Dimbleby Lecture on the BBC iPlayer. Delivered by HRH Prince of Wales, it should, in all seriousness, be required watching for the world. This man’s destiny was set the day he was born, yet rather than patiently wait to take his seat on the throne, he’s spent the last thirty or so years of his life asking the kind of questions of the world which we all need to be asking. He’s an inspiration. What more might we ask of a future leader?
building effective capacity
Last week South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership held their annual Communities Conference. For some unknown reason, I was asked to facilitate a workshop on ‘Community Capacity Building’, this being one of the themes of their new Leader programme. Aside from feeling I didn’t make a very good job of facilitating the workshop (It was our local panto the week before and I’d been treading the boards for four nights on the trot. That, coupled with a stinker of a cold was the major factor affecting my lack of effectiveness!), it really got me thinking. Just what is this ‘community capacity building’ that we keep talking about? And how can we ensure that it’s effective? Skinner (Strengthening Communities, 2006) defines it as ‘Activities, resources and support that strengthen the skills, abilities and confidence of people and community groups to take effective action and leading roles in the development of communities’ For me, the success of community capacity building lies in the way the activities, resources and support are delivered. Training courses, seminars and workshops all have their place, but surely there’s nothing better than getting stuck in and having a go!
In Douglas, we’ve been having some cracking meetings recently with a group of people who are keen to develop a former coal yard site in the centre of our village. The group has been meeting now since around September of last year. The site in question is owned by the local estate and the group would like it to become something of a focal point for our community, triggering the regeneration of the village. From a ‘Communities on the Edge’ perspective, it’s exactly the kind of thing we’re all about!There are about ten local enthusiasts involved at the moment.
We’ve lost and gained a few others along the way, but a pretty distinct core has emerged over the last few months. I think it’s important never to underestimate the message that an open door sends out. It’s too easy to get lost in the enormity of a project like this, and perceptions of a clique or ‘closed shop’ can develop quickly in a small community. So continually checking in with local people, offering them opportunities to contribute and encouraging participation is a really important part of the process.
The group made the pretty huge step of agreeing to formally constitute in order to take the project to the next stage just last week. It may not sound like a big deal, but it means lots. It means that for the first time the group will have a formal identity, and members of that group will be committing time, energy and very probably some sleepless nights over a number of years before any building work starts!
The next stage in the process is about feasibility. It’s a term that makes everyone sigh with boredom, but it’s a really important stage in the development process. We’ve been supporting people to become really familiar with the ins and out’s of it all and as a result they understand and appreciate the need for this next stage. It’ll be an interesting and challenging time. But I’m pretty excited! So yes, making progress, obvious progress, but there’s also the less obvious stuff like the change I can see in the individuals involved. They’ve learnt so much about so many things in the past few months (a relatively short time!) and it’s a privilege to have been a part of that. It’s most certainly been about getting stuck in and having a go. Skills and knowledge has been amassed through a learning experience which has been tough, exciting and fun. As well as the skills and knowledge which has been collectively accrued, the group has become stronger and more resilient, ready for the next challenge which no doubt awaits!
Surely this is effective community capacity building?
venturing into the unknown
I’ve been really struggling recently with people who aren’t prepared to take risks, to leave their so-called comfort zones and try something new, regardless of whether or not their idea will succeed. It’s the same with local authority and government, where creativity and zest for life is lost in the paperwork and feasibility studies.
Why are we so scared of failure? For me, it’s where the richest experiences of life are found.
I’m a firm believer in ‘informal learning’ and learning through doing, but it just amazes me how limited we are in our current culture to actually do this. We still insist on a ‘petrol pump’ education system and measure the results of it by making people sit exams? When will we ever realise just how much that stifles creativity and imagination, how much it actually holds us back rather than empowers us? We’re now living in a world which loves convention – and as soon as you try to do something a wee bit out of the ordinary, you’re jumped from behind and treated as a leper.
All my waffling has brought me in mind of a simple yet powerful little story:
‘Once upon a time, an explorer found a beautiful undiscovered land. After some time, he returned to his home and he told his friends about this country. He described the valleys; and he described the hills, the rivers, the trees, the animals and plants. He told them:
‘You must go there for yourselves, my words cannot do justice to that land.’
His friends were excited and keen to hear more about the land for themselves. They asked the explorer to draw them a map to guide their journey, and to show them exactly where this wonderful land was. The explorer refused, and said to them:
‘No, you must set out and find the way for yourselves. There are many different routes and I know only one.’
However, they insisted, and after a time the explorer relented and drew a map for them. His friends were excited by the map and spent days planning for the journey. They discussed which route they would take. They talked about what the land would look like.
But they delayed, deciding that they had better prepare thoroughly for their trip. Perhaps too, they needed to know more about maps – and how to read them. They thought they needed to know how to understand what picture the map showed.
Years passed. The map was studied. Then it was copied – and passed on to others. Schools were set up in map reading.
The explorer was sad and went away.
No – one visited the land’
Pretty sad, eh?
So are you planning on defying convention, or is it back to the Monday/ Friday grind tomorow? Choice is a marvellous thing. Will it be the status quo, or will you visit the land?
the great turning
‘The Great Turning is a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation.
The ecological and social crises we face are inflamed by an economic system dependent on accelerating growth. This self-destructing political economy sets its goals and measures its performance in terms of ever-increasing corporate profits–in other words by how fast materials can be extracted from Earth and turned into consumer products, weapons, and waste.
A revolution is underway because people are realizing that our needs can be met without destroying our world. We have the technical knowledge, the communication tools, and material resources to grow enough food, ensure clean air and water, and meet rational energy needs. Future generations, if there is a livable world for them, will look back at the epochal transition we are making to a life-sustaining society. And they may well call this the time of the Great Turning. It is happening now.
Whether or not it is recognized by corporate-controlled media, the Great Turning is a reality. Although we cannot know yet if it will take hold in time for humans and other complex life forms to survive, we can know that it is under way. And it is gaining momentum, through the actions of countless individuals and groups around the world. To see this as the larger context of our lives clears our vision and summons our courage. erformance in terms of ever-increasing corporate profits–in other words by how fast materials can be extracted from Earth and turned into consumer products, weapons, and waste’
Joanna Macy
