Participatory Collective
Introduction & Mission:
The Participatory Collective is a network of local community groups from the Ideas Fund, who work together to make positive changes in communities, who would like to be represented through a unified digital campaign. They are focused on wanting to improve the way things are done by including more of our voices, especially from local people. They believe that it’s necessary that communities should have more power in making the decisions that affect them. The vision is for the Participatory Collective to become a physical and virtual space for individuals to come together from the Ideas Fund and other projects in Hull/East Riding. This is for them to work in a participatory way to build a movement that will shift power and change systems and cultures, to enable communities to thrive and evolve together.
Their goal is to build a movement that challenges these unfair systems, whilst approaching this in a kind and considerate way. They want to help organisations, such as universities and councils, to see how things can be done more efficiently and effectively by listening to others and working together. The Collective truly shows that change is possible when everyone has a voice and works together as a team. Instead of following the ways that schools, governments, or organisations tend to work, the Collective tries unique and different ways, such as running projects, events, and workshops to help people learn, connect, and create change. They also make videos, write blogs, and share stories to elaborate on why they’re doing what they’re doing, which communicates a really important message.
The Collective will also be open for groups, individuals and organisations who are wanting to work in a participatory way to secure backing and pick up from others to engage well and incorporate people in cooperation. The intention is to build solidarity in a movement that will decide and approach things differently, working towards shifting power, changing systems and cultures that currently do not meet needs. The Participatory Collective will magnify the voices of those who have the most knowledge and experience of the services and systems, but are currently not working. They follow the mantra of the Poverty Truth Commissions which is ‘Nothing about us, without us, is for us!’ Overall, my role is to begin designing a website that encapsulates The Participatory Collective.
Values & Approach:
The Participatory Collective believe in working with care, honesty, and trust. They build strong relationships and work together with communities to create projects based on shared ideas. Instead of rushing or forcing outcomes, they believe it’s more effective to let things develop naturally through teamwork. They support simple and flexible ways of working that include everyone’s voice. They focus on people first, not just roles or jobs, as they always want everyone to feel included, safe, valued, and heard. They also want to help change how big systems such as universities work, so they better support real communities. This means giving communities more power in research and making partnerships fairer and more open. Their goal is to create kinder, more equal ways of working together, both locally and beyond.
Their Story:
The Participatory Collective face major local and global issues of social injustice in society. They believe that it’s crucial they come together to create change, to enable people to live fulfilling and flourishing lives. To achieve this, they need to think, reflect and do things differently because they’re encountering uncertainty with climate change, levels of poverty are high and exacerbated by the cost of living and the rise of the Far Right means that our communities are divided and rattled. They believe in needing a movement, which embraces people-led change facilitated by equitable, participatory practices to build solidarity and closeness. The divisions sewn into society through the major issues we face are becoming deep rooted, therefore we need to act upon this.