Messing with the mandate This week in Camden, we had some vivid formative conversations  as our Participation Unit takes shape and tunes in to community connection and co-design possibilities. As professionals, it's important to create an environment for individuals and communities to share their stories we reckon. Coming at it with respectful  preparation to these sessions yes! but we  have also  learned that bringing over-baked and predetermined plans often doesn't work out. Instead, we must work even harder to "take off our lanyard" and shift professional positions, to open up space for all people to use their imagination to shape systems and services, Nora Bateson offers us wonderful insight into systems, explaining, "I grew up in a household in which a system was a living thing, alive in its swirl of interrelationships and intercommunications... But there are not really any draw-able boundaries between them: it is messier than that... But in my household a system was a warm thing." We find warmth and  trusting people towards building shared capabilities - is what creates the buzz and belief in tangible positive change. And the co-construction of services is a powerful  force for change; mandated in the new Children’s Social Care National Framework. Not that relational activists i know have been waiting for the mandate, we must not only participate in collective action and change projects, but we must also hard work to connect with others. Access to knowledge, especially lived experience, is a privilege that should be valued. We pay back in, not extract. Learning to Listen We love  the wisdoms Joanna Macy shares on listening and staying with the difficult stuff in order to move into a collaborative space , "If it is true, as I have become convinced, that everyone at some level feels distress over the world's future, then we all have a lot to say to each other - once we break through the fears and taboos that keep us silent... in the process of communicating them, change occurs: new ideas and new visions arise... the art of listening is essential. It reveals and it empowers." Living co-design means sharing and holding spaces. By facilitating creative inclusion, we can hold space for others and demonstrate a willingness to be vulnerable, which can lead to new power dynamics and deeper trust. Check out our youtube playlist "How to do community participation" with its films in the comments. #letsdoit #community #codesign #collaboration

"Every line is thus the actual experience with its unique story. It does not illustrate; it is the perception of its own realisation." Cy Twombly #PresentationNotRepresentation #CloserToPeople #RelationalActivism

The Family Advisory Board summer wellness party was a great success once again. Someone said it is like a different model for social services where families come together When families come together in a relaxed and supportive environment, it fosters a sense of unity, belonging, and mutual support. This model contrasts with traditional top-down social services in that it emphasises community empowerment and active participation. By families playing an active role in their well-being and support systems, they not only provide immediate assistance but also strengthen the community for the future. #relationalactivism #closertopeople #ToLoveIsToAct

relationalactivism.com/films #socialwork #empathy #equality #respect #toloveistoact #relationalactivism