Here is 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.
Personal Invitations
The art of crafting a welcome that resonates, disarms, and inspires action, especially in communities with a history of mistrust. The most effective invitations come from another human being, deliver...
Check-ins
Regular sessions, typically held in full group gatherings, where participants share reflections and collaboratively discover patterns and approaches that best serve their diverse community. These rhyt...
Groups.io
The primary digital platform for communication within the Belong in Plymouth programme. It was used to implement a principle of open communication, ensuring that everyone had access to the same inform...
Embodied Connection/Activity
A transformative practice that helps people create meaning and drive action by fostering a deeper, more personal connection to insights, moving beyond purely intellectual engagement. This involves al...
The Circle (for meetings/gatherings)
A deliberate seating arrangement where everyone is equally visible and heard, without a head or a foot, fostering connection, trust, and deeper relationships. This practice became a cornerstone for f...
Design briefs
Concise, actionable declarations (often stemming from "How Might We" statements and clustered insights) that transform a broad area of interest into a specific, tangible challenge or opportunity that ...
Map of Belonging cards
A deck of cards created from community conversations, each featuring a distilled insight on one side and a fragment of the original transcript on the other, directly connected to the factors and theme...