This category showcases the practical side of our work — the exercises, methods, and frameworks that help us listen better, design thoughtfully, and work more effectively. From listening practices to co-design techniques, these posts highlight the tools that support meaningful collaboration and reflection in community settings.
Listening at scale: How we used AI in a project about human interaction
Belong in Plymouth has always been about people — their voices, their ideas, and their connections to this city. Over three years, two powerful streams of work emerged. And when it came time to reflec...
The Art and Craft of Listening
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply” - Stephen Covey. As a world, we focus more on how to speak than how to listen. It happens all around us....
The freelance experience
Introduction Everyone who worked on Belong in Plymouth did so in a part-time capacity. For some, it was part of a salaried role, but more than half of the ‘core team’ were self-employed. Part-time ho...
Personal Development within an Emergent Programme
Friends and family frequently ask, "So, what actually is an 'emergent programme'?" and "What does that actually mean for you day to day?" This post aims to answer those questions by sharing my experie...
Navigating uncertainty and emergence
Uncertainty and emergence have characterized all aspects of the Belong in Plymouth journey. From the time we wrote our successful funding bid, things were kept pretty open. The core team wanted to all...
Stage 1 submission - September 2020
Please describe specifically which groups or communities your partnership seeks to benefit and how you will involve them in developing a plan over the first 6-9 months. How will your approach promote ...
Give patience and time
A long-term commitment is needed because that is the length of time that people and relationships work over. It takes time to physically reach people and to make contact. It takes time to gradually sh...
Human + AI: Evolving Community Insights Toolkit
We’ve been thinking a lot lately about how technology fits into our community work. At Belong in Plymouth, we're exploring ways AI can support—but never replace—the human side of processing conversati...
Mapping Community Insights
Over time, we've learned that listening to stories is just the beginning. In the Belong in Plymouth project, we’re now turning conversations into insights—mapping what we hear into something we can al...
Barne Barton: Belonging Through Stories
In Barne Barton, something powerful happened. We gathered as part of Belong in Plymouth, not just to discuss ideas—but to listen to the personal, grounded stories of what belonging really means. Kare...
Insights from Workshop Reflections
We’re discovering that slowing down and making space to listen—really listen—makes all the difference. Across our Belong in Plymouth workshops, we’re creating room for reflection, grounding, and deepe...
Recognizing the Importance of Internal Ops
In June 2023, we held one of our bi-monthly Operations Updates—and it quickly became clear that our internal structures needed just as much care as our community relationships. Karen summed it up per...