Make sure your volume is on: "...what are the best events we can put on..."
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For the last two years the community engagement has been working with local schools doing things like the John Muir Project, which is outdoor learning. But another one of my favourite examples was working with community-based art groups to create artwork around the park. We created an exhibition at the end of that to celebrate it last December. And we had about 30-odd people, artists and families, coming to see the artwork being put up around the park in the form of banners that would go on the fencing around the park during restorations.
And now I’m looking to create something which is quite ambitious – it is this idea of a Community Forum – which I think is the kernel of Community Engagement. It’s creating essentially a meeting between different organisations including the police, local schools, local organisations, the Portsmouth Water guys, and wrapping that all in one big lovely meeting where we can have a discussion about what are the best events we should be putting on in the park, what’s going to help us to tackle antisocial behaviour, what are the most meaningful ways, or the most meaningful workshops that we can put on that will help people feel like they are contributing, feel like they are gaining something, and get… Ideas can include things like upcycling and carpentry or arts groups again.
So when the Coach House is finally finished and we’ll have a space in the old dairy block to do activities that is going to be really useful. So I’m really looking forward to having that space, because that will really change the dynamic of the job.
