GetGo Glasgow + Green Gorillaz
cocreating with the community of Wynford
PROJECT INFORMATION
type of work: public engagement | co-design
dates: Sept 2009 - Dec 2010
extent of the project: student group project that expanded far beyond coursework
team: 12 students from the Masters in Design Innovation and Masters in European design (Glasgow
Amy Marsh | Basak Okay | Eeva Campbell | Fee Schmidt-Solta | Heji Jeong | Holly Brenan | Joe Slavik | Laura Franzini | Rose Hutton | Sara Pateraki | Sarah Drummond | Me
+ GSA professor Ian Grant + the lovely community of Wyndford
CONTEXT | PROBLEM
At the time, the housing state of Wyndford was one of the most deprived areas in Scotland and had a life expectancy at birth of 35 years.
The recent closure of the school had left the neighbourhood without a community hub, and locals were concerned with the lack of activities and places for young people. The Council had removed playground equipment due to vandalism, and other recreational areas had become ‘no go’ places due to drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour.
OUTPUT | IMPACT
Sustain our Nation Competition
Press
the Guardian, interview with Sarah Drummond
Wyndford community
@GetGoWyndford
As a result of the co-creative effort between the twelve design students and the community of Wyndford, the social enterprise Green Gorillaz secured £20k seed-funding through the Audi competition Sustain our Nation. Green Gorillaz has continued to be run by the community for a decade.
Green Gorillaz sought to rebuild the community spirit by incentivising the creation of interest groups, strengthening offline and online networks, and improving the physical environment. The platform implemented an application process for community groups to access funding. It set to develop activities that promoted cross-generational connections and knowledge transfer - from sharing where to find the best ale to parenting and childcare groups or learning how to fix a bike.
INSIGHT INTO THE PROCESS
Early strategic decisions
Instead of working towards the themes proposed by the Audi Competition, we chose to take a bottom-up approach and work with the community to ensure the relevance and sustainability of project proposals and solutions. After scoping several areas, we chose to work with the community of Wyndford, where locals seemed more open to engaging with us. This housing estate also had physical boundaries defining the area in which to work.
Building our presence in the community | public engagement & research
We developed the brand, GetGo Glasgow, to become recognisable as a unified group and build our presence in the community. Desk research & stakeholder interviews were essential in understanding the roles and relationships among the different organisations and groups operating in the area. Door-to-door interviews and public engagement activities used ice-breakers and visual methods to start conversations and gather locals’ views on how to improve the area.
Building trust with the community | involvement in community projects
To build trust with the community and engage with active members, we got involved in existing community-led activities such as council meetings, social gatherings, and the redevelopment of the football pitch.
Co-design workshops | building solutions with the community
These workshops gathered community members, stakeholders and designers to come up with ideas and work together towards solutions. We used design visual methods and developed a variety of activities to spark creativity, narrow down ideas, and refine solutions.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
While we were able to create strong relationships with community members, the project failed to engage some relevant stakeholders. Perhaps the apparent naivety of a student project was not sufficient to persuade them to get involved, or maybe they did not want to face and take responsibility for their impact in the community.
REFLECTIONS | SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Back then, the main challenge I faced was the language. At the start of the project, my ability to understand the Glaswegian accent was limited, and I never seemed to catch up with group discussions in time to make a point. While I contributed to the studio work and the field research on one-to-one interactions with the public; facilitation of workshops and group discussions was beyond my reach. As the project advanced, I increasingly engaged and socialised with the community and took a more active role in the design process. Now, a decade later, I have worked with people from all over Scotland, England, and beyond; and have become skilled in facilitating complex group dynamics.