Keep playing

Kate Regester reflects on the way the art of play is driving community development.

When I walked in to the Creating Routes workshop, at Creativeworks London on 29th April, people were already sat on chairs around the edge of the room, leaving a big empty space. What’s going to happen in that space? I wondered, as I sat down and shook hands with the person next to me. I was safe in my seated position with the weight of my backpack pressing against my legs. Then the workshop facilitator stood up and invited us to leave our stuff behind and join them.

The move from the chair to the middle of the room was weirdly daunting. It was only a short distance but it was stepping into the unknown. The group had never met before, who were these facilitators? Anything could happen. It sounds like a little thing, but as the 140+ projects that were showcased as part of the Creativeworks Festival attest, when you get a group of interested people stepping into the same space the results can be huge, far-reaching and overall surprising.

One of the things that stuck with me from the day of installations, talks, performances and workshops was a comment from the panellists in Women, Creative Collaborations and Digital Thinking who said that we are brought up to believe that work is a serious business, when actually the best work comes out when we play. Something that has been recognised by the top Fortune 100 companies like Google where play is more than just an activity, it is a mindset created by a value system. Play is an attitude which promotes negotiation, creative problem solving, taking risks and reaching a consensus when our different imaginary worlds collide.

The panellists, Ghislaine Boddington (Body>Data>Space), Ruth Catlow (Furtherfield), Lydia Fraser-Ward (Fantasy High Street) and Roberta Communian (King’s College London), discussed how digital technologies, like architecture, embed our values and interests into the future whether this is through the technologies, businesses, education and art themselves or the behaviours we exhibit when using them.  With this comes the importance of providing and promoting opportunities so everyone is represented in the creative process, ensuring those values meet the needs of every future user. Alongside which is the way we, as individuals, take responsibility for championing and supporting the younger generation into the workforce.

Collaboration is another big word bouncing around at the moment and an easy answer to some of the challenges faced by all organisations in the changing funding landscape. However, it is not always so easy to achieve, precisely because it require those skills which can only be developed through play. Play is not just about what happens in closed rooms or a responsibility of a curriculum; it’s an attitude that gives people permission to experiment and when the outcome does not turn out as you expect, creating a safe space where that learning can be turned in to an opportunity. In your workplace or in that space with other interested people. 

At Brighton City Lab on 28th April, I met individuals from a range of Social Enterprises and community-minded projects across Brighton. I saw a network of people sharing experience, skills and connections, coming together with the opportunity to explore ideas. It brought home how much of our learning happens not on the chairs at the edge of the room but when we are in the middle of the room, working together.

To go back to the Creating Routes workshop, you’ll be pleased to know that the middle of the room didn’t swallow me up. The facilitators asked us to choose from a series of random objects (head torches, police line tape, small mesh hats with bells on) something that reflected one of our skills and take it back to our groups. We entered the space as individuals with something unique to offer, put our skills together and created an imaginary project. In short, we played.

Links:

http://www.creativeworkslondon.org.uk/festival

http://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/brighton-city-lab/

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Kate Regester is the Project Development Manager at always possible

// kate@alwayspossible.co.uk

It Is Always Possible To…What?

I have started a business for people who want to make a difference.
I have called it always possible. But what the hell does that mean? What does it do?

When offering a service rather than a tangible ‘thing’ - an item for sale - the first challenge for any start-up is to define what lies at the core. What makes you interesting? What is your ‘why?’.

As Simon Sinek says, ‘people don’t buy what you do, but why you do it’.

With everyday that I work on the idea of always possible, it becomes clearer. Here is my pitch to you:

Why?

It is always possible to be brilliant. 

If you run an organisation that seeks to make the world better, or to challenge the things that don’t work - then I believe you can do it brilliantly.

I believe that if you’ve got the heart, soul and brain, you can make it work.

Whether you run a school, a government department, a tiny social enterprise, a youth club, a dance company, a research charity, a coffee morning, a synagogue or an after-school karate class - your provision has the possibility of changing the world, one positive experience at a time.

I believe that you need three things to be brilliant.

- The right people

- A clear purpose

- The right resources

It’s obvious? Think about an organisation you love working with or buying from, one that is thriving - what is it you love about it?

The organisations that don’t thrive, that either never get off the ground, or grow rapidly too big, or get so distracted that the floor collapses, will be missing one the three ingredients. I promise you.

No organisation is quite the same as an other, because each one has different people, a slightly different purpose, and different resources - but that is one of the most exciting things there is. But no organization is the first to try, fail and try again.

One of the hardest things to do, and believe me I know, is to step back and ask yourself the following questions:

- Does everyone in this organisation share the same values?

- Can someone we have never met explain why we exist?

- If 50% of our income streams vanished tomorrow, could we still thrive?

If you answer these questions honestly and you get three yesses, you can achieve everything you have set out to achieve. And much more.

If there is a no or two, then you’re with the majority. The thing is, though, you have just realised that something probably needs to change - which makes true brilliance only a short distance away.

What?

This is a long-winded sales pitch, you’re thinking - if you’ve got this far. Maybe. But the ‘why’ is fundamental, and I believe it is always possible to be brilliant. I wanted to set that context.

We all need a bit of help to be brilliant, and we are only brilliant because of our behaviours and the connections we build.

I’ve been around the block, for about 15 years so far. I’ve worked for/with some truly brilliant organisations, and I have worked with ones that have collapsed. I have supported charities, local authorities, training providers, schools, theatre companies, artists, social enterprises and more - I have made mistakes and prevented mistakes.

But my learning has led me to a point where I can use my knowledge and intuition quickly to create an environment for change.

I have met some amazing people on the way, and they are joining me for this journey, as associates, advisers and partners. If you book me, you might get them too, and they are worth their weight in gold.

We can help you, as friendly human beings who will *get* your business. We know you’re not like everyone else.

- The right people

We can help you develop your staff teams - whether it is helping clarify your vision and values or more formal training and CPD. 

We can support your leaders, with coaching or strategy planning - and we can help you hire the right people, or restructure existing teams for increased productivity and internal wellbeing.

We can help you to evaluate and self-assess your impact, and the impact of your team members. You need a culture that drives forward, gets things done - with a team that looks after each other and plays its best hand everyday. Sometimes a pair of outside eyes helps get to the heart of any barriers much quicker.

- A clear purpose

We can help you re-discover your ‘why’ - internally and externally. We can work with you around leadership thinking, and the creativity of being different to everyone else. We’re big, bold, creative people - but we have a keen eye for detail and for an opportunity.

We can link you up with local business networks, strategic influencers and bigger picture connections. With our help, you can distill your message so that everyone knows why you do what you do. We can improve your digital presence, the consistency of your communication and your presentation skills.

We have been designing successful education and creative projects across the south east and London since 1999. We can use what we know to ensure your good idea works in practice.

- The right resources

Our associates have raised and managed over £10million of public grants and contracts, philanthropic giving and commercial sales over the last decade.

We can help you write that winning bid, put together that killer pitch and make the most of your assets. Do you know what funding is available to you? We probably do.

We know how to hire the right staff, and to keep them. We can audit your health & safety practices and ensure that your policies are fit-for-purpose and keep your staff and service users safe.

* * * * * * 

If you like our approach, and you think that a bit of targeted support could help take your organisation to the next level - we’d love to hear from you. It all starts with a free no-fuss, no-obligation consultation to see if we can add value to your company.

Thank you for reading. Please share and ask questions. Have a lovely week.

Rich Freeman

web: www.alwayspossible.co.uk

email: ideas@alwayspossible.co.uk

tweet: @always_possible

call: 07877 307883

Happy Talk

The single best thing about my freelance role is the range of fascinating and interesting people I get to meet.

I'm aware that I'm doing a lot of ideas and concept building at the moment, which is always much more romantic than keeping the supporting pillars steady - but it's damn exciting.

Today, after lunch, I met with Mick Taylor. A Geordie mathematician, educator and businessman who is involved in setting up Goodmoney, a social enterprise concerned with the radical re-invention of how money works. A gift voucher that supports local businesses, a credit union that offers fair loans and a structured time bank that offers Sussex volunteers the chance to trade time/services for tickets/goods/services. I'll be hopefully playing around with them as an advisor, consultant and volunteer for the foreseeable and will see what happens; the connectivity and values-led experimenting of it all is appealing.

Then I moved straight, from hipster coffeehouse to a Costa 50 yards away, into a meeting with an account manger from JISC - the agency that supports the development of education technology in FE and HE. A great discussion that circumnavigated challenges and opportunities in the sector and how I might be able to facilitate the greatest impact with providers to test and analyse the impact of products on the market. The change of coffee shop tone is no accident.

For night-time connectivity, I took always possible associate James Turbull to London, meeting with with the great and good of charity/non-profit fundraising at a drinks reception in Farringdon. Hosted by the great James Newell of Kingston Smith, it was a good opportunity to discuss ideas of leadership, values and business with some intriguing and dynamic people; key players I enjoyed  boring with my whims were Mandy Johnson, Director of Partnerships at change.org; Paul Nott, Charity Recruitment Specialist; a freelance fundraiser called Sarah (who had kept her Minneapolis accent despite 10 years in Birmingham); Leanne from KS who partied with us near the samosas and many other warm and interesting people. 

It was quirky to have a summer party on a hot day in a windowless basement boardroom, but the beer was cool and the smiles were big.

More people, more connections, more joining up thoughts. I like this bit.