How are we building community?

In this post, we’re exploring new ways to direct our energy to real-world issues that are defined by communities.

It was a pleasure to be face to face again, giving a workshop at the Computers and Writing Conference at UC Davis. Talking with people about the design of their projects is one of my favorite things to do. In my “Beyond Design Thinking: Designing for Equity” workshop, we discussed how design thinking could be harmful as a stand-alone process. We examined alternatives such as co-design, design justice, and my own contribution, equity-based design.

When we got to the point in the workshop where participants created their own inclusive, equity-focused design process - I was surprised at how powerful this question was:

Participants said they hadn’t considered that as a starting point for their projects. There is a subtle shift when we start asking this question. Many people focus on their audience, but I think we should be focusing on our communities. The rhetorical concept of the audience can seem static, whereas community is dynamic — something that we can actively nurture, grow, and develop.

I found the question “How are we building community” to be transformative in my work. The question shifted my research from a more academic and self-interested agenda toward something lasting and meaningful to others — to communities.

This is not always an easy shift. During this workshop, I realized that participants would have benefited from a more specific process to guide them through thinking about the (deceptively simple) question, “How are we building community?”

How can we direct our energy to real-world issues that are defined by communities?

In most of the projects that I encounter, there is a community lurking there. Is it a community of readers? Of makers? Of writers? Of knitters? Of students? Of hackers? Of researchers? Of cheese lovers? It doesn’t matter what kind of community it is. What does matter in this community-led approach is that we are putting their gains first. Their visions. Their hopes.

In order to do this, we need to know what those are. This isn’t always a straightforward answer. Secondly, we need to know how we can develop the community’s assets and resources from within the community. This is incredibly worthwhile — if and when it is accomplished.

After reflecting on the workshop in California, I decided to create an online workshop to support and guide people in this process. This workshop will be open to nonprofits, community-based organizations, educators, activists, and practitioners invested in delving into a process of how we can genuinely build community.

I’m interested in how you are engaging and building community. Would this workshop be helpful? Let me know your interests in the comments below.

My book Community is the Way: Engaged Writing and Designing for Transformative Change is free and open access, published through the University Press of Colorado/WAC Clearinghouse.