Creating a Community Voice

We originally proposed the idea of a “brainstorming” workshop to partner organization New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) when they were looking for feedback on a town watch and phone tree system to report crime in the Kensington, Philadelphia neighborhood. Crime is a huge problem in this area and it is important to create a sense of anonymity so that neighbors can feel comfortable reporting incidents. Many are scared that they will be targeted for snitching. There is already concern that the town watch system would not be the ideal solution. NKCDC needed input from the greater community on ways in which we could either improve on these existing models or create new ones all together.

We started researching ways to engage the community in a conversation where they could explore opportunities to make their neighborhood safer. We examined the current layout of the space used to conduct the monthly meetings and saw an opportunity to start there. In order to engage people in conversation we needed to shift the layout from a lecture setting to either a small group setup or one large circle so the residents could face each other. We decided that the large circle would not allow everyone to have an equal voice and decided on four small groups that would each surround a table.

The workshop that MiD attended with Peter Block informed our concept approach to engaging community members in a meaningful conversation. Block emphasized asking thought provoking questions and focusing on an individual’s assets. We knew that in order for this community to begin to feel united and less fragmented, they would need to understand the commonalities among themselves. Once that is established the residents can begin to concentrate on the “gifts” that they, as individuals, bring to their neighborhood.

The next step was to think about the actual interaction:

Would it be heavily facilitated?

Who would facilitate?

What scaffolding did this particular community need?

What were other obstacles that may keep them from opening up?

These were all questions that needed to be considered as we examined this engagement. We took some time to examine the Peter Block workshop more and how design can be applied in this context. We observed that there was no way to capture what was being said in our small groups and no way to continue this momentum.

This is something that differentiates the work we are doing as designers. Not only are we creating situations where meaningful conversations can take place but we are creating materials that act as boundary objects for create a shared understanding but also capture the outcomes produced.  This is important in order to generate some type of follow up action. Our goal in the work we are doing for our thesis is to design an interaction where the greater community has a voice and feel empowered to then take action.

Peter Block Workshop

Recently the MiD crew traveled to The Cranaleith Center to participate in a workshop by Peter Block the author or various books including two that have been very influential in my thesis work, Community: Creating The Structure of Belonging, and The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods. Mr. Block believes that most of our communities are currently fragmented with a focus on individuals and not the betterment of the whole. He feels this is the dominant narrative that is fueled by the consumer economy and the consumer economy is designed for dissatisfaction. He encourages people to initiate a counter narrative that focuses on the individual gifts each person brings to their neighborhood/community and encourages an economy of generosity. He asks that citizens reclaim their space and to take ownership and responsibility for where they live. This sense of accountability is in the power of asking provoking questions. “Questions bring us together. Answers drive us apart.” Block believes that powerful questions evoke anxiety but create possibility and ownership. Once you state an answer, you own that. He argues that transformation can only occur when you shift context and value possibility. What Block doesn’t explain is why do some communities flourish when others fail. He mentions in the introduction that if you believe that our communities are doing well and thriving then his book will not make sense to you. His aim is at changing the conversation, which will ultimately change the future of our neighborhoods. It could be the very thing he is striving for, a sense of connectedness. If that is the case, then how do we connect struggling communities and their citizens with more successful ones?

Block continues the argument in his book The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods which he co-wrote with John McKnight. They state that our institutions and professional services have reached their limit to care for communities. The consumer economy makes us feel like we are not capable of taking care of ourselves and we need the help of these specialists. We have become consumers and not citizens. We need to “reweave” our social fabric in a way that welcomes strangers/neighbors to create a future that works for all. “It is when citizens stop waiting for professionals or elected leadership to do something and decide they can reclaim what they have delegated to others(Community p.14)” this is when citizens discover their power to act.

The experience in this workshop was very interesting as he asked us to sit in groups of three with our knees only nine inches apart. The one rule: you cannot know anyone else in the group. We were then instructed to ask some tough questions of each other which proved to be a challenging way to get to know a stranger. The goal was to just listen. Block cautioned us to avoid giving advice but to ask more probing questions like “why is that important to you?” The last piece emphasized gratitude as we each expressed one thing that touched us about our partners responses.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience but realized that something was missing. There was no way to capture what was being said in our small groups and no way to continue this momentum. This is something that differentiates the work we are doing as designers. Not only are we creating situations where meaningful conversations can take place but we are providing tangible materials that act as boundary objects to create a shared understanding but also capture what is being produced in these conversations in order to generate some type of follow-up action. This is our goal in the work we are doing for our thesis. To design an interaction where the greater community has a voice and can feel empowered to then take action.

 

Design and Crime

Illegal Dumping. Kensington, Philadelphia

The number one issue facing the Somerset Neighbors for Better Living and their extended community is the issue of crime. Drug dealers, junkies, illegal dumping, and burglary are some of the top issues in this area. Snitching has kept this community silent for years. Fear of retaliation and a distrust of police keeps people inside their homes and their mouths shut should they bear witness to a crime.

SNBL and New Kensington Community Development Corporation want to work to change this. They have started to build a strong relationship with the local police district and specifically with certain officers who routinely attend the larger community meetings. This building of trust is a first step in assuring residents that the police are on their side.

Lonnie and I want to explore ways in which design can help to overcome the anxieties associated with reporting crimes. We want to bridge the gap between the community groups, the police and the greater public. Our hope is to organize a co-creation workshop for the March meeting where these various groups can work together to generate solutions to this problem. It will be a good opportunity to initiate the conversation, educate people on their options and unite this community in their fight to regain control over this neighborhood.

We proposed the workshop idea to the Somerset Neighbors for Better Living steering committee last Wednesday night and although there was some hesitation and confusion as to who would facilitate such an event, we were finally able to gain approval. The next step will be to fully research options for effective crime reporting. The more calls to 311, the more resources are allocated to the neighborhood. We will need to determine the best method of communication to mobilize this area in their efforts.

Creating Community Within

Carlos. Somerset Neighbors for Better Living.

A few weeks ago a classmate and I decided to discuss our thesis research and bounce ideas off each other. It has been very challenging to try to externalize all of this information on your own. As Lonnie and I discussed our findings we realized that we were both interested in working with community-based nonprofits. After going through all the details, we made a decision to join forces and combine our wealth of knowledge into one project.The organization that Lonnie was working with is located two hours from Philadelphia and will pose a challenge as the semester progresses. He seemed very interested in the research and work that has been accomplished through New Kensington Community Development Corporation. After a short discussion we decided to focus on the NKCDC’s work with a new civic organization located in a rough neighborhood of Kensington in North Philly.

This civic organization consists of neighbors who have come together to improve the current living situation of that area. They call themselves Somerset Neighbors for Better Living. This group is extremely passionate but lacks structure and depth. They are very dependent on New Kensington CDC to organize and plan their meetings. After talking to the Director of Community Engagement we learned that the key focus for this group is to develop their leadership capacity so that they can operate independently. How can design play a role is in this?

As Lonnie and I become more of a presence in this community we are hoping to be able to explore the answers to this question. Tonight we will attend their monthly community meeting where they invite the residents to discuss various issues. NKCDC organizes these gatherings and invites guest speakers and local police to address these issues. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the members of this small community and get a baseline for how the group functions. How are the residents currently engaged? What role does the steering committee play? What role does NKCDC play? This baseline understanding will help guide our direction moving forward. Our end goal is to instill more confidence in SNBL’s steering committee, allowing them to truly guide their neighborhood group. We believe that change in the neighborhood must come from within, and with a group of highly motivated neighbors, that change can be realized.

What does it mean to you?

What does the word community really mean? As I continue to research my thesis, I find myself thinking of this question, often reflecting on what communities I feel a part of. What makes a community? In a very broad sense it refers to a group of people unified by a goal, interest or even location. I decided to ask some friends and classmates what the word means to them. The responses had some variation but generally followed a theme of a group bound together by or for a commonality with certain words like together, supportive, and shared often used.

For some it means feeling accepted for who they are. Being part of something familiar yet greater than yourself. It helps frame how we identify ourselves and how we are perceived. It is a link to those around us through shared values or needs and can also be defined as the physical space with which we reside albeit harmoniously or not.

One response that resonated with me goes as follows: “A community is a group of people who share something in common whether it’s living space, viewpoints, disability, sexual orientation, or shared experience. Something that brings them together. It’s also somewhere I feel welcomed, that I belong and that I can be myself. I see it sort of as the minority forming a group where they can be the majority. I know that’s not always true but in my life it is.”

What does it mean to you?

Design in Community: Three Thesis Directions

As I continue my relationship with New Kensington Community Development Corporation I am finding three areas of opportunity for thesis direction. The first area that I would like to explore involves a new civic association in the Somerset/Lehigh area of Kensington. It is one of the worst areas in that neighborhood and has been riddled with crime and drug abuse. The new civic association called Somerset Neighbors for Better Living is trying to make a change for the better in that area. The few “community champions” that sit on the steering committee have recently completed the official bylaws with the help of NKCDC. There have also been several workshops to co-create a mission statement and logo for the group.

While they’re on a positive track, the new group is struggling when it comes to support from the community, and needs more champions to get involved. Due to a recent reduction in staff, NKCDC will not be as available to assist the civic association the same way it has up to this point. It is imperative for the group to develop leadership skills and start to operate independently. How can design help in this situation? Can design methods help develop and sustain leadership in this community? These are questions I hope to test in the coming months as I become more involved with the Somerset Neighbors for Better Living. I will be volunteering to help with their clean and green initiative to clean up a vacant lot on Helen and Somerset Streets next month.

Another area that I have an interest in is the internal organizational structure of the NKCDC. Having worked with a large healthcare organization to examine some of their internal practices, I am curious how different or similar a non-profit operates. Based on my initial inquiries, my hunch is that non-profits face many of the same issues as large corporate institutions. Lack of communication and effective collaboration between departments is hindering the work of the organization. How can design help to make this a more efficient work environment?

My third area of interest involves a new initiative to engage the youth of this area. When I last met with the staff at NKCDC, they were developing feedback cards to distribute to the youth. These cards would ask questions about favorite places to hangout, favorite activities, etc. The cards are for kids ages 5-18 which will generate very different answers. Having several age specific, co-created workshops would be a more successful way of engaging the youth.

I also think there is an opportunity to not only engage the youth but to empower them to be the next community champions. I recently learned of a group in Providence, RI called Youth In Action whose mission is to put youth at the forefront of positive social change and has been very successful at just that. Can this model work for Kensington? I have received contact information for the executive director of Youth In Action and hope to schedule a phone interview soon.

Secondary research will be very important as I learn more about how communities function and examine other examples of community engagement. My goal in the coming months is to gain enough understanding to determine a clear direction and argument for my declaration at the end of December.

BGB Workshop

Last month I worked with a team of UArts designers to facilitate a workshop organized by the NKCDC (New Kensington Community Development Corp.). The goal of the workshop was to engage multiple stakeholders within the community in a collaborative exercise to inform the design of phase two of their Big Green Block.

BGB is an initiative bringing sustainable green infrastructure and education to an area that borders Fishtown and East Kensington. Phase one of the project brought two stormwater filtration basins, numerous stormwater tree trenches, a vacant lot that was converted into a small grassy area with a dog park, a large athletic field at Shissler Rec. Center, and the cornerstone of the project- the Kensington CAPA high school, the first LEED platinum facility in the region. Phase two will focus on further development of the converted vacant lot.

Participants of the workshop were divided into four groups and asked to brainstorm descriptive words they would use to describe the ideal future of the space. Each group had a UArts designer as facilitator who directed the group members to externalize their thoughts on post-it notes. This spark some interesting conversation within the groups as the participants discussed what the space and the neighborhood meant to them.

The next step was to sort these individual ideas into common themes based on similarities. These themes would lead to an overarching statement that would guide the community members in their design ideas. Once the members collectively decided on a statement, they began arranging small cards with icons representing different elements that could be used within the space on a large map of the area. The cards added an element of play and helped the participants visualize possibilities for the space.

Ideas overlapped in certain areas and differed in others but with very little facilitation, group members were able to discuss ways to incorporate most of the concepts. Several constraints had to be considered in the design and could have caused contention among members but surprisingly there was little resistance.

Once the participants were finished creating their layouts, they were asked to nominate a member to share the idea with the greater group. Group members were then given an opportunity to vote on their favorites. This co-creation activity allowed the community members to take an active role in the development of this new space. This will hopefully create a sense of ownership and buy-in which will help with future maintenance of the area.

I recently attended a follow up community meeting where the Philadelphia Horticultural Society revealed the final design concept for feedback. Unfortunately it was a very small turnout and there were several members present who were not at the original meeting. Overall the feedback was positive and PHS allowed some room to incorporate the feedback in the plan. NKCDC is hoping to break ground mid November.

Big Green Block

Last week I started a collaboration through the NKCDC (New Kensington Community Development Corporation), a local community organization whose mission is to strengthen the physical, social, and economic fabric of the community by being a catalyst for sustainable development and community building. One initiative, the “Big Green Block,” is a project bringing sustainable green infrastructure and education to an area that borders Fishtown and East Kensington. This is part of a 25 year citywide initiative to bring green stormwater management projects to areas of Philadelphia. Multiple stakeholders are involved in this project including, NKCDC, Philadelphia Water Department, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Mural Arts and Philadelphia Parks and Rec.

The block consists of two stormwater filtration basins, which will capture storm water drain off from nearby streets, numerous stormwater tree trenches, a vacant lot that was converted into a small grassy area with a dog park, a large athletic field at Shissler Rec. Center, and the cornerstone of the project- the Kensington CAPA high school, the first LEED platinum facility in the region. The current development was all part of the first phase of the project. NKCDC is partnering with these various stakeholders to develop a second stage of the Big Green Block which will consist of refinishing the basketball court to include a drainage system underneath, construction on a new pathway connecting the Berks train station on the Kensington side with the community in Fishtown, new options for the current wall bordering the athletic field that separates these two communities and further development options for the grass field/dog park.

Through my collaboration with NKCDC, I will be going out into the community with fellow designers to research current opinions on phase one and act as a facilitator for an upcoming community meeting. NKCDC believes strongly that the community should be involved in the decision making for phase two and is holding the meeting at Shissler Rec Center on July 9th to gather opinions and brainstorm new ideas. There has been very little “buy in” on the current development phase and a difference of opinion on who exactly the space was designed for. Fishtown Athletic Association, the organization that runs Shissler, believes that they have full ownership of the area and has very strong opinions on what should be incorporated.

Fishtown athletic is not the only source of resistance, there is also some racial tension between these two communities and it is very important that both feel they have a voice in the second phase of this development. Our goal for the July 9th meeting is to design an interaction that will engage as many of these stakeholders as possible in a group brainstorming session. Through this process of co-creation, we are hoping to develop a greater sense of ownership over this space while also allowing the community to work together in exercising their voice.

Solutions Workshop

On April 5th, my team and I ran a workshop at Penn Med designed to engage some key stakeholders in generating solutions to the identified obstacles new managers face as they acclimate to the system. The concept was to gather these key players in one room and facilitate an interaction that would hopefully generate meaningful conversation around these issues.

Ben explaining some information to one group

For those of you not familiar with this project, my team and I have been working closely with a group from Penn Medicine’s corporate HR department to help inform improvements to their current on-boarding process for new leaders within the healthcare system. Since Penn is such a vast system with several entities, it can be very daunting for a new manager to acclimate. We began this project by conducting research in the form of new manager focus groups and one-on-one interviews with various stakeholders.

Matt surveying the data from our research

The content of the workshop was based on the findings from this research which informed the creation of seven topics of focus for areas of improvement. We emailed the participants prior to the day of the workshop and asked them to select their top three choices. After we received the feedback on participant preferences, we were able to narrow the themes down to five and then eventually four after several last-minute cancellations. Based on these preferences, we created four groups and each was assigned a theme.

At the start of the meeting we asked each group to review their themes and have an open discussion regarding why it was identified as an obstacle for new managers, what was currently in place and why it may not be meeting their needs. After this discussion the participants were asked to brainstorm ideas on post-it notes regarding possible solutions to their particular theme. They had 3 min to brainstorm “blue sky” ideas and then 3 min to brainstorm more realistic approaches. The participants were encouraged to produce 20 ideas for each brainstorming session and there was a prize for the group that generated the most ideas.

After the ideas were generated, we asked that they discuss each as a group and try to cluster the ideas into three categories. They then posted their top three clusters on a poster board. This poster board was used to share the clusters with the rest of the participants in the workshop. Each group shared their top three ideas and received feedback on what they had generated.

A group working to cluster their ideas

Following a short break, the groups were given tools to help storyboard one topic of focus based on the three clusters. We explained that they needed to review their ideas and create a single topic of focus. They were also allowed to combine ideas if it was appropriate. The tools they were given to help storyboard their ideas were cards labeled “who,” “what,” “where,” and “when.” These cards allotted space to allow the groups to define what their card was representing. These cards were then placed onto a board which allowed them to visualize how the concept would work.

Example of a storyboard

The workshop ran very smoothly and all participants seemed quite engaged. There were times when we, as facilitators, had to join a group to help nudge them past a certain phase. Some initial hesitation was apparent with the first activity but once the groups moved beyond the discussion exercise everyone seemed more involved and willing to participate.

The feedback at the completion of the three hours session was extremely positive. The participants appreciated the opportunity to gather and discuss these issues and generate concepts to address them. The next step, present our final recommendations to the senior leaders within HR.

A Week Of Reflection

Wow, what a year 37 turned out to be. As I celebrated my 38th birthday this past week, I found myself reflecting on the past year. New city, new friends, graduate school, so many changes. If you had asked me last March if I saw any of this in my future I would have, without hesitation, said “no.” I first explored the idea of returning to school last January and applied to the Industrial Design program at RISD, but a week before my 37th birthday received the “we regret to inform you” letter. After that, I sat on the idea for a while, not sure what to do or where to look next.

As most of you know, my decision to move to Philly and start the MiD program at UArts happened within a matter of weeks. It was such a crazy time. I sold everything I owned, got all my personal stuff in order, packed up the car and off I went. While the transition has been tough at times, especially when my 3.5 year relationship ended a month after moving, I have no regrets. This is a saying I remind myself of often. I am here doing what I’ve wanted to do for years, surrounded by people who share that same passion.

In my week of reflection, I thought a lot about the dynamics of my studio group this semester, the differences between this experience and the experience last fall and how these dynamics have been an integral part of our success with the Penn project thus far.

Both of my group-mates have previous experience working with Penn and the work they accomplished last semester has been very important in laying the groundwork for this semester’s “success.” They were able to introduce design and the design process through various interviews, cultural probes and workshops. This really paved the way for our current progress.

For those of you who are not familiar with my cohorts, allow me to introduce you: Ben Hillson, first year graduate student originally from New Orleans, occasional southern drawl, and frequent use of the term “y’all.” Now Ben, he’s a “real guy,” he votes, and he drives a car. Feel lost? Don’t worry it’s an inside joke. What Ben really is, is an incredibly articulate and smart guy. Then there’s Matt Van Der Tuyn, second year graduate student, designer extraordinaire from New Jersey. Matt has this design process down to a T and his graphic skills never cease to amaze me.

The secret to our successful partnership? Respect. We are not afraid to constructively argue each other’s points or ideas, and through this constructive arguing we are able to hash out some really good concepts. This Thursday will be a true test of our skills as we tackle a large workshop consisting of various stakeholders within Penn. Our goal is to gather these varying communities of interest in order to generate solutions and improvements to the current on-boarding process. Asking the stakeholders to generate solutions creates buy in and demonstrates how design can solve complex problems, bringing us one step closer to creating cultural change in a large corporate organization.