My Voice My Barking

My Voice My Barking
Nov 6 · 6 min read

What can 20 people with £250 do in 24 hours for a community that has one of the lowest voter turnouts in London? The 2019 cohort of Year Here fellows hosted a session for Barking residents to talk directly to their councillors and reengage with issues in their borough, ahead of the recently announced general elections on 12 December 2019.

The task, set by Year Here, was to get as many Barking residents as possible motivated to vote, with first steps to encourage them to attend an event on Nov. 1, 2019, at the Ripple Centre. To achieve this, the Year Here class divided themselves into three groups — community outreach, communications and events. As the names suggest, community outreach team members spoke to leaders in the community (at the church, mosque, gurudwara and Hindu temple), to business owners and the council to build support for the event. The communications team took over a designated Twitter handle, regularly posting updates before, through and after the event, created a video that played on a projector screen at the venue and got people on the street to answer questions about their neighbourhood on a whiteboard.

Residents answering questions about Barking.

The events team had just a few hours to transform what looked like a standard school gymnasium into a welcoming space where visitors could discuss ideas without judgement. A private listening booth to allow attendees to answer and record questions about Barking was set up in a corner of the room.

Year Here fellows dressing up the venue ahead of the event.

Year Here fellows crowdsourced many decor elements, like bringing in pieces of fabric found in their home or requesting a cafe to borrow a blackboard. Fairy lights were strung from supports to create a children’s section. A cardboard backdrop was tacked up for children to create self-portraits and put them on display. A local youth centre loaned some toys and a central table was covered with lollipops and colouring pens.

A discussion circle was set up in another corner of the room, where people who lived and worked in Barking could drop in and tell councillors what needed their attention.

And in the spirit of building relationships, food was catered from nearby restaurants and the market — some for free, from the market down the road, and some for a small fee, from Turkish Kitchen on Ripple Road. Visitors could share a hot free meal at a long central table.

Barking residents at the event.

But the hours leading up to the event were filled with Year Here fellows starting work from the previous evening, within minutes of the challenge was announced. Three teams ideated to form a plan of action before going out in the neighbourhood that night to post flyers. Fellows stayed until late at the Year Here Studio at London Fields before picking up work again early the following morning.

Year Here fellows posting flyers in Barking

Stationed at a table on the upper floor of a Costa, fellows spent the day inviting people, confirming that councillors would attend and making sure the local press knew about the event. This story appeared in the Barking and Dagenham Post.

The evening began at 5 pm when the first guests started arriving. Some people came with children, who were quickly drawn to the art supplies and games. Many people of different age groups took a seat in the discussion circle with councillors in a session that was facilitated by Year Here fellows. The conversation was divided into parts to make it as useful as possible. The discussion covered thoughts about public spaces in Barking, how to increase opportunities for young people, how to improve voter turnout in the area and what residents want Barking to look like in ten years.

The discussion circle

Some key themes that emerged were a push towards greater cleanliness, safety (there was a stabbing outside the station on the evening of this event) and employment opportunities as well as face-to-face support services. But the big question around voter turnout was more complex. Stemming from a national problem of disengagement, one of the participants in the discussion, Lamar Roberts, said that he received information and reminders to vote but would ignore them because it has to do with the root of the issue — to care, to want to vote. Lamar is a resident who founded the sports foundation, Right Development Foundation.

Cllr Saima Ashraf of the Labour Party said it was important to raise ambition for young people. And that affordable housing for Barking residents, which is in Barking, needs to be a high priority, emphasising that quality of housing had a huge impact on a person’s wellbeing. And Cllr Simon Perry, also of the Labour Party, said that the community would like to see Barking’s council better funded in ten years and for the area to not be overwhelmed by crime. “We’d like to be doing well. I don’t feel like we’re collectively happy at the moment.” Ann Haigh, who is the Liberal Democrats candidate for Barking and Cllr Cameron Geddes of the Labour Party were also present.

Priyanka Agrawal, an attendee who had come with her son because she heard of an evening with children’s activities has been living in Barking for the past year and a half. She said an event like this could encourage people to vote but that there needed to be greater awareness about it. Just before leaving the venue, guests were asked to drop a counter into a jar to say whether they would vote or not in the next election. The numbers were small but the ‘Yes’ jar had more counters than ‘No’.

Twenty people, £250 and 24 hours may not sound like much. But it’s plenty to start an important conversation around community engagement and the need for everyone to vote. Ahead of a general election, the evening of Nov. 1 hosted by Year Here was the start of reminding the people of Barking that the neighbourhood is their home, which will only progress with their active participation.

Year Here fellows after hosting a successful event.
My Voice My Barking

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A community event hosted on Nov, 1, 2019 by Year Here fellows as part of a 24-hour challenge.

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