Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a networker extraordinaire.  It’s in my nature to meet new people easily and to connect with them and I can’t help myself but link them with each other too.  I’m always intriqued to see what happens and if they can find synergy and ways of working together.  As part of this I regularly spend time building my relationship with colleagues elsewhere in the world.  This month 3 ‘wise men from the East’ visited Perth and I had the opportunity to participate in workshops they presented and chat with them about their work.  Here’s some of what they had to say and my learnings from the experience.

Crispin Butteriss from Bang the Table visited Perth in early March.  I’ve put up my hand to be their WA representative because I’m interested in what they do and have a desire to build my IT skills.  Bang the Table provides an on-line consultation service which provides opportunities for community conversations  in people’s own time and place.  I think it’s an easy to use product which is friendly and well moderated.  I’m exploring the use of the on-line forums in various projects I’m working on.

We recently had a forum running for the Brownlie Neighbourhood Regeneration Project my team are involved with.  We had a good number of people viewing the site and a small number making actual comment.  What I’ve learnt from this and observing other sites is that on-line solutions work well if they are part of a broader engagement suite of activities and if good marketing/communication takes place to let people know about the on-line forum.  If an issue is ‘hot’ there is more likelihood that people will be energised to have a say and that it’s fine if they just log on to look and not make a comment.  This can be interpreted in lots of ways, including that people maybe ‘ok’ with the issue/topic/project at hand.  Lots of comments do not necessarily mean success.  What I’m liking is where organisations have chosen to have ongoing on-line comment opportunities for citizens – check out Have Your Say at Port Phillip.  I think this gets people used to the idea of commenting on-line and builds a good data base and practice.  Crispin said, “commenting on-line is free and easy, it allows ordinary folk to speak and be heard in order to make a difference. Most importantly they can see what other people think too”. My challenge to you – check out Bang the Table on-line, find other on-line opportunities and make comment as an ordinary citizen yourself. Check out locally built Places for Me too (it’s a great site linking to Google Maps where you can comment on specific places).  Get skilled up and remember this is going to be the normal way of the world for the next generation.

David Engwicht spent a couple of weeks here from mid March and I was lucky enough to be part of a City of Melville project focussing on adding vitality to the Canning Bridge Precinct.  This wasn’t about mega dollar solutions but about finding small, short term and low cost options to growing local community experiences and life.  David is an innovator and creative and really pushed our thinking.  On the morning of the 15th March he ran an action learning breakfast for IAP2 where we played with ways of improving the use of an outdoor ampitheatre next to the City of Melville library, civic and shopping centre.  I was thrilled with the simple but cool ideas that emerged.  For example, bringing the library outdoors (and pretty well doubling their space) by encouraging book readings outside, placing cushions with disused books in zip lock bags for staff and shoppers to stop and read, holding staff meetings outside, encouraging community groups to use the space more.  It was interesting, that at all the community and staff meetings we were often locked onto harder and more expensive ideas to implement and David challenged us to change our thinking and begin with good symbolic stuff that could grow the story and experiences of places.  I learnt that most importantly starting small but energetically can build momentum and bring much bigger things. Quite empowering really.  David said, “create strategies with what you’ve got…a space does not become a place until it is used for a purpose other than the designer intended…everything we all do determines the quality of experience people have in public spaces…including in our own homes and in the reclaiming of our front yards.” My challenge to you – go ahead put a seat or bench in your front yard, have dinner out the front, play board games, talk to your neighbours and supervise the kids playing on the footpath.

Gilbert Rochescoute from Village Well was the last to drop into town in March where he ran a Masterclass workshop focussed on place making and the art of authentic engagement. I’ve spent lots of time with Gil and it was great to have him here with his high energy and clear thinking about where the global human story is at.  I’ve long been drawn to Village Well, their practices and approaches. They continue to be holistic, deeply committed and on the cutting edge.  Gil and his partner Amadis are 2 of the most authentic people I know, practicing what they preach.  They were recently featured in The Age because they have dug up their front verge, put in edible plants, set up a table and chairs (where they welcome people to sit and give away extra produce and eggs).  They have basically created a community hub in the suburbs!   Gil sees Place Making as ‘the new environmentalism‘ – an integral approach to delivering place – social, cultural, economic, environmental and spiritual.  Jacque Robinson (Village Well team member and skilled community facilitator), co presented with Gil and shared her years of experience of engaging with communities authentically.  Her emphasis on social justice and community building reminded us all of the responsibility we have when working with communities, to do no further harm and to hold people in the experiences we create,  gently.  During their presentations some of the words and things they said were, “intent is key…it is important to allow community to create their own place using their own language so that they recognize themselves and that…our projects are part of history and fit into a continuum of the story of a place.”  My challenge to you – get out from behind your desks and walk the street and places you are working in, get to know the people, the business operators and those who visit there, it will make the process of engagement so much more real.  Get to know your neighbour and find ways of practicing your place making at home too.

I’ve had a big month with lots of work, selling and buying a house and dealing with my own issues of needing to take personal care and time to reflect.  It has been fabulous however during this time to reconnect with these 3 wise men (and 1 excellent woman), grow my friendship with them and know that I’m not alone in my desires to place make and contribute to the world we live in!