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Harnessing Stories for Shared Wisdom & Community Action in Palm Beach

I have long been curious about the different roles that stories and narratives can play in the work of community change. I have seen how one individual story, powerfully told, has the power to instantly engage people and offer clarity and understanding of a complex issue in ways that well-researched data and analysis alone cannot accomplish.

I  know that communities, like individuals, have stories about themselves that can both limit and inspire their hopes for the future. These community narratives – about who we are; how things go; what’s possible for us here – shape collective thinking and can play a role in determining the future. Uncovering current shared community narratives and inviting community members to co-create new, compelling narratives that are rooted in their shared hopes for the future can be a powerful lever for community change.

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Facilitating Co-Design Virtually: Part Four

Coming out of Phase Three you will have a group of people who are connected, who understand what their shared vision is, and have been let loose to brainstorm ideas. There’s likely a lot of momentum. But it may feel slightly messy or overwhelming. Enter: Phase Four.

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Facilitating Co-Design Virtually: Part Three

Coming into Phase Three your group will now have reached some form of alignment on a shared vision. Having this shared vision is critical as it is the foundation for this next phase of building new ideas.

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Facilitating Co-Design Virtually: Part Two

Now that you’ve considered ways to facilitate an inquiry phase virtually, we turn to looking at options for how your co-design participants can explore what is common or shared across their diverse perspectives as they look to the future.

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When Community Becomes ‘Unessential’

Community gardens were just declared essential in our city. Gardens were opened as a food security measure, noting that many low-income people rely on gardens to save money on food. The next big challenge, and this will be announced in the next few weeks, is how to manage a community garden without community.

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Facilitating Co-Design Virtually: Part One

Only a few weeks back, Tamarack hosted a 2-day workshop on how to facilitate co-design sessions with diverse stakeholders to problem-solve solutions together. Then, COVID-19 happened, and the question that is top of mind for many is—How do we facilitate co-design sessions virtually?

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