Collaboration Station is magic.
Collaboration Station is magic. I truly believe that. Magic. A word that we need to take seriously. A feeling of intense emotion — overwhelmingly positive and incredibly important. The feeling of being a small part of a powerful collective; that is what I mean when I say magic. I often assume that this is a universal feeling, but if you can’t pinpoint it right now just trust me — it’s an awesome feeling.
There are many things about my job as a community organiser that I love — getting to know people and their passions, understanding people’s motivations to make change, seeing people grow and so on — and what I am beginning to realise is that collaboration station incorporates every single one of these. Maybe this is why CS is so powerful.
I still remember the first Collaboration Station that I attended. I was a week or two into my new job and completely unsure of my own path as a community organiser. Although incredibly excited to be on the journey, I felt a little out of my depth in a team of experienced organisers. Given the role of gathering signatures for photo consent forms, there really wasn’t anything nothing too scary on my end. But, as I got the forms ready, I had a feeling of uncertainty wash over me; I was there, at the front, inviting people into an event that I didn’t really understand. It was daunting. I knew that I had an amazing team of individuals around me, and I knew that I was excited to be a part of the movement, but I didn’t understand the importance of the work that I now found myself in. This all changed at that first Collaboration Station.
There have been many moments in this job when I have been overcome with a wave of gratitude to be a part of such an important purpose on this planet. Collaboration Station was the first moment to give me this. That very first Collaboration Station in fact, and I have had that feeling at every CS since.
This week was no exception. Stood to the side, taking photos of the 55 people that sat around St. Mary’s Guild Hall while Gemma spoke about the importance of community organising, I felt that wave. As she spoke of the fire that needed to be found within people to ignite change and spark a movement to make the place in which we live better, that feeling of magic — remember her? — rushed over me. I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up. How lucky I am to be a part of a movement to make Coventry a better place. Through determination, grit, and constant reflection, the Connecting For Good movement grows people into individuals that form a strong and immovable foundation. The CFG movement is about combating isolation and marginalisation. It is about a connected city that values the individuals within it and listens to what they need. It’s about a strong community that is able withstand the hardships because of the care and support they have from, and for, others. What could be more important than that?
St. Mary’s Guild Hall, the venue for Wednesday’s Collaboration Station, was a stunning reminder of the beauty and strength of Coventry. A venue that, to all extents and purposes has no place in community organising, was offered up to the CS team as a gift. A brilliant reminder that people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People want to believe that there is hope for a brighter future with a stronger and more empowered society.
Collaboration Station is an important reminder of the breadth of our movement. I play no role in the planning of CS, and as time goes on, the Connecting For Good team will play less and less of a part in how the event runs. But that is the beauty of the movement. One day I might not be in Coventry. Life might take me elsewhere. But I will forever be in awe of the strength of the people of Coventry and their determination to make their city a brighter and more beautiful place.
