The Magic of Collaboration
I was asked recently to explain what Collaborate Out Loud is all about. Without really thinking, I responded ‘It’s about creating magic’! As far as I know there are no magicians in the room when Collaborate Out Loud gatherings occur, but when people come together willingly to engage, be curious and be bold, something special happens. You might call it energy, connectedness or presence but I like to think of it as magic. Imagine what we can do when we unleash this magic and set it to work…….
“Collaborate Out Loud CIC creates surprising, simple and social spaces for public service innovation and flourishing” Collaborate Out Loud Mission
Driven by the 11 principles the Collaborate Out Loud community embrace (some of which I’ve quoted here) people have crossed organisational and hierarchical boundaries to come together. Gatherings take place at a Greater Manchester level and inspired by the success of this community; off shoots have started to appear across the region.
In August 2017, Becci Martin, Director of Boo Coaching & Consulting and friend of Collaborate Out Loud put out a call on Twitter to see if a community might emerge in Bolton, our hometown. In my role leading on Social Value for Team Boo, I was excited to see what value we could create. Team Boo are passionate about delivering nationally and internationally whilst creating ripples in our own community and Collaborate Out Loud seemed like the perfect way to make an impact.
“They create surprising, simple, and social spaces between the formal structures and informal networks”
By the power of Twitter, people came to our first gathering and not just any people, the right people. We had in our midst students, leaders, voluntary, public and private sector but as we introduced ourselves it soon became clear that our ‘job roles’ were secondary to our willingness to be present in the room and offer up our contributions. In sharing stories we realised that we all held a passion for Bolton. We established our common ground and this was where the magic really started to happen. We started to build trust and made connections and as a first meeting, this was just enough.
“They spend time building a community, trust, and a shared interest where people bring their whole selves”
At our second gathering, with some new faces present we focused more on exploring our connections and identifying opportunities. Our meetings have so far been held at All Souls Bolton, a community building in the Halliwell area of Bolton and home to Boo HQ.
Staff from teams based in the building have been regular attendees at each of our meetings and we have been inspired by the potential of All Souls Bolton. Connecting the assets of our community quickly became a focal point for discussions.
“They work on real and often complex challenges collectively”
#Onesquaremile emerged as a way of identifying the neighbourhood around All Souls which does not fall neatly into geographical or political boundaries. We are currently working on discovering the physical and social assets of our One Square Mile to test out how this might unleash the potential All Souls has to be vibrant community hub where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
“They are social, share with generosity and kindness”
The Collaborate Out Loud community came together to support an Autumn Festival at All Souls, at which we were able to share and explore ideas with residents who attended.
Other themes have emerged through our discussions including mental health, which struck a chord with many at our last gathering. It was a privilege to observe members connecting, sharing stories and planning work, recognising how much more we can achieve when we work together.
“They embrace and harness the energy and difference of the crowd”
At our most recent gathering we applied some Street Wisdom methodology and held part of our meeting on the streets of Halliwell. We explored the network of streets away from the main roads and found a complex, diverse and distinctive mix of communities that inspired our thinking and gave a new dimension to thinking around One Square Mile. We look forward to continuing to offer up our network as a way of building community connections and will be supporting All Souls to host The Great Christmas Get Together in December.
I’d like to share a final story with you. Katie came to our first Collaborate Out Loud Bolton gathering after hearing about it from a friend. She was looking for an opportunity to establish a Community Interest Company in Bolton aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation. At this meeting she discovered that All Souls were seeking an organisation to run a community café from the venue. Within a few weeks, Katie has launched Huddle Up at All Souls, a wonderful, welcoming café providing tasty, healthy food and breathing new life into the All Souls community space. You might call this serendipity, synchronicity or fate, but I think it was a bit of that Collaborate Out Loud magic doing its thing.
