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Mull & Iona Community Trust

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Introduction

This case study relates to an item of work on which Connecting Scotland and Mull & Iona Community Trust (MICT) collaborated to undertake a series of linked community engagement events during the summer and autumn of 2015, with the intention of refreshing the community development plan.

Background

The MICT development had been produced a number of years earlier and it was clear that the wider context and environment for the area covered by the trust had now changed.

Need and Purpose

Connecting Scotland practitioners used a number of practices as appropriate within each event including Circle, Check-in, Appreciative Inquiry, World Cafe, and Harvesting the results. There were also opportunities for ‘information giving’ so that participants and officials understood more about the practices of participatory leadership and active collaboration and involvement.

Approach

Within a number of weeks at events held in the primary schools, the High School, summer agricultural shows, small groups and in local community halls, the team had identified and produced:

Benefits Delivered

Within a number of weeks at events held in the primary schools, the High School, summer agricultural shows, small groups and in local community halls, the team had identified and produced:

  • A very large landscape graphic poster summarising people’s contributions to what made Mull a good place to live and their vision for the future.
  • A number of documents harvesting in detail what participants to the conversations had written and drawn on papers during the Cafe conversations.
  • A number of documents with Word-Cloud summaries indicating the frequency with which words and phrases were recorded.
  • A presentation containing a collage of photographic and video recordings of the events showing how the engagements were conducted.
  • Material that could be used within publicity issued by MICT.
  • Outputs from the earlier events were shared with participants and an invitation given to amend and/or add more detail, and to then select items for priority action.

What People Said

  • "The level and depth of engagement in all the venues and with all the people who participated indicated how valuable this work was to them. The children in the primary and secondary schools were very enthusiastic participants in the process and the conversations. "