Ann Fisher of Walthamstow Labour Party

Ann Fisher, a longstanding member of Walthamstow Labour Party, describes how Movement for Change has given her (and a larger group of previously inactive members) a way to engage both with the Party and their local community.

I am a recently retired London primary school teacher and have long been a Labour Party member. I have never been confident enough to attend Labour Party meetings nor to talking to people on doorsteps during elections. However I am keen to play my part as a Labour Party member. So when our Movement for Change (M4C) organiser Kathryn Perera asked me to join a small group of similar members locally, I was very happy to attend.

Through meeting with each of us individually (1-2-1), Kathryn had identified us as all being interested in education. Since the initial meeting six of us plus Kathryn have met several times at my husband John’s and my house.

We began to hold 1-2-1 meetings with other members of the group in order to learn more about each other and find out where we have shared interests and concerns.  Through that process, we discovered that education would not necessarily be the subject of our action. Through further discussions, it was suggested that our group should attend a Job Fair at the local college. We did this and combined talking to some local business people, listening to the issues of local residents and registering young people to vote as part of The Missing Millions voter registration campaign. Lots of people were happy to register to vote and we learned more about our local community in the process.

I felt, at last, I was doing something positive and linking with people I otherwise would not have met. It felt like we’d achieved a small step towards becoming more engaged in the political process. Everybody we approached responded eagerly and in a friendly manner. We hope to continue to work for The Missing Millions Campaign in the months ahead.

At first, our group was a little unsure as to where M4C was taking us as we were not asked to focus on activity straight away. But we stayed with it because we liked the idea of working within the local community, building up networks, so that people could identify and share their worries, which then might lead to joint action.  A lot of people, in my experience, seem to feel alienated from party politics, thinking it has nothing to do with them. My experience with M4C has proven my belief that working with the local community on local issues which they have identified, can lead them to take part in political action and achieve change.

Next we are planning a listening campaign along our street, initially, to ask residents how they think our street can be improved e.g. less litter, more trees, less congestion, improved lighting and find out any other issues they have and want to act on with us.  It is a gradual process, but one to which I am committed. There have also been other off-shoot actions from our group. For example, one of our initial members was a young man who had two degrees, but was unemployed. He felt there was a big issue around businesses not providing work experience to the unemployed. He is now working with Kathryn to link local businesses with local young people seeking work experience.

Before Movement for Change, I felt I couldn’t participate in the traditional role of a Labour Party member joining in meetings and electioneering. Being able to meet local people in 1-2-1s and small groups, in order to build towards community actions, has given me the opportunity to develop from an inactive party member to an active one.

Ann Fisher

Emily recently undertook work experience with Movement for Change. Here she reflects here on the power of stories to create social change.

Once upon a time, as a literature studying undergrad, I believed passionately in the compelling power of stories. Many of life’s dilemmas have been solved for me by seeking advice from the pages of my favourite novels. Example. Deciding what to wear for a recent event I attended in Bath, could easily be sorted by a quick flick through Jane Austen, the natural ‘go to’ for any questions pertaining to social etiquette in that beautiful Georgian city. More meaningfully, the force and energy of words and characters, cadence and clause, can evoke compassion for others, induce reflective internal dialogue and conjure imaginings about a different kind of world. Stories deliver a sensation unparalleled. They are a potent catalyst.

Within the remit of community organising, employing the power of stories is useful in primarily two ways. Firstly, stories create empathy, a fruitful and proven campaign technique. Attempting to take action on holistic concerns like poverty, or nebulous concepts like inequality, can seem daunting and unachievable. Instead, stories enable a macro issue to be made relevant at a micro level. Rather than speaking in general terms, discussing the hundreds of thousands affected by the current climate of economic recession – which often makes the listener feel overwhelmed and disempowered to help – a story humanises statistics. It can draw on people’s own day-to-day experiences and reference points. More poignant, is learning about a particular Sure Start centre that has been forced to close in a local community. Or hearing about Marian, a single mother, aged twenty seven, who lives on a nearby estate and can no longer afford childcare for her eighteen month old toddler. The sequence of an identifiable character faced with a challenge is a digestible formula which the listener can empathise with. This type of relational story telling drives collaboration, which in turn leads to action. By facilitating community leaders through training rooted in narrative, Movement for Change has successfully achieved a number of positive outcomes from founding Residents Associations through to installing safer road crossings for children.

Secondly, stories allow us to get to know each other better. Telling stories about ourselves – an oral tradition that pre-dates the written word – can enable us to find common ground with others, which in turn creates stronger grassroots networks, mobilised and willing to become involved with people they feel connected to. Much of the philosophy employed by Movement for Change in their community organising strategy draws on the idea of a personal meeting between community leader and community organiser, known as the 1-2-1. These sessions are used to push beyond the name, address and occupation of an individual – to reach past their socio economic credentials – in order to explore what drives them, what makes them tick. Employing stories to share details of our past – the moment when you became politically active or a juncture that awakened you to try and make change – forges stronger connections and a deeper understanding of people’s political and social reasoning. Example. Rather than turning up to a meeting at her local branch and vaguely muttering about wanting to help others, Elizabeth Bennet could tell a personal story about how a turbulent relationship with a wealthy man activated her political conscience when she realised that income inequality – a prolific social injustice – can act as a barrier to happiness. It is a truth universally acknowledged after all, that the British public cannot help but be enthralled by a best seller.

A few chapters later in my own life, having now studied politics as a postgrad, I am thrilled at the exciting prospect of uncovering the venn diagram lozenge where my two disciplines overlap. Community organising is a fertile ground, achieving tangible results on issues that really make a difference, where stories and politics can harmoniously exist. Putting people’s stories back into politics, returns politics to the people.

Streatham activists at the Labour Women's Safety Commission

Catriona Ogilvy describes the impact of testimony by young people from south London at the recent Labour Women’s Safety Commission hearing in Parliament.

Too frequently I am shocked to hear stories of violence against young women in our communities; an issue often misunderstood by policy makers and largely overlooked by the coalition government. Last Autumn Streatham Labour activists, together with training and support from Movement for Change, began a Community Safety Listening Campaign focusing on the experiences of young women. Speaking with young people across our borough it was striking how many had been affected personally or knew of someone affected by violence, harassment or sexual abuse. All had their own stories to tell and many knew what they wanted to see changed. The opportunity then to share these findings and bring examples of the realities faced by young women to the ‘Everywoman Safe Everywhere’ commission set up by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP and Chaired by Vera Baird QC was not to be missed.

Giving evidence to the commission the stories of those we had spoken to struck a chord with many round the table. Our ‘real life’ examples illustrated the concerns of women and created a frame for discussion perhaps more powerful than hearing facts and figures alone. The most powerful evidence for me though was that given by young people who members of our group had worked with through building relationships with local youth groups. Listening to Imogen, aged 10, speak about her experiences of violence and aggression from boys in the playground and her hope for ‘young boys to be taught how be gentlemen’ was both moving and worrying; worrying that a young girl should experience this type of behaviour in the ‘safe’ setting of a school playground and worrying that Marcus, aged 18 years, told us how younger boys copy the behaviour of older boys and that to him it is no surprise to see aggression and violence occurring at an increasingly younger age.

Just like those we had spoken to in our listening campaign, Imogen and Marcus knew what changes they wanted to see and could voice solutions to the issues they faced on a daily basis. Imogen asked for a ‘safe zone’ in the playground and well lit streets so she doesn’t get scared walking home from school in the winter months. Marcus wanted to see empty shops in our communities opened up and used as safe spaces for young people to gather.

Listening to young people as they gave their evidence so eloquently and passionately, it was a humbling reminder of the importance to speak to people and to hear their stories. It was also a first-hand lesson that sometimes the best answers and solutions can be found in the most obvious of places; from people themselves. Sharing the experiences and ideas voiced by those in our community, it was positive for both us and them to see how it shaped discussion and debate by leaders who could take action and seek to make the changes women in our local area are calling for.

Over the coming months Streatham activists will use these examples and ideas and together with local groups form our own community safety campaign. Through our work, and with support from Movement for Change, we will continue to grow our group and forge new relationships within our community.

Catriona Ogilvy

Streatham Labour: Constituency Chair

Just under a year ago now, I remember sitting at home listening to the government announcing further cuts and further hardship. That how we were all in this together and we would pull through under the Tories & Lib-dems Coalition. That was when I joined the Labour Party.

So I joined up but what next?  Before my first labour meeting I received an email by chance about a new community organising initiative called “Movement for Change” (M4C) that was looking to do some training and work in Cardiff. I didn’t know what to expect and looking back, it certainly had an effect.

The session was headed up by Stewart Owadally from M4C. Each of us in the room had to say what they believed in and why they joined Labour. Sounds simple but it’s a revealing experience not just for others but for you as well, explaining yourself to people who are really listening is surprisingly profound. But listening to everyone, you couldn’t help but hear the pattern: we all wanted change.

Shortly after the session, I had a one-to-one with Alex Bevan to talk about M4C and this is where the group shows its strength: a good conversation depends on trust and trust comes from listening. The same reflective experience can be felt whether it’s someone saying why they joined a political group or what problems they face in their communities. They trust us enough to say what they would change.

M4C and its work  seems to strike a chord with people because not it’s looking at present problems and building towards future results but also looking back at the past. The work is not about policy or national issues that are reacted with blanket actions but instead it’s a much closer and local view. People are not entries into a spreadsheet or targets that are to be meet but instead real people with real issues. You cannot talk to a statistic but you can listen to a person.

“I’ve been waiting for this conversation for 20 years…”

Since the first session, Stewart and Alex had been meeting with other individuals from around Cardiff and in a matter of weeks our listening campaign in Plasnewydd was underway. We had a team from all over Cardiff made up from activists, campaigners and Labour Students. The biggest difference between this and anything else we had worked on before was the focus on issues, not votes.

One of the things that struck me was willingness of the community to talk and engage with us about their home. Whether resident or business owner; their pride in Plasnewydd was only matched by their concern of the problems that they faced and a desire to help each other in times of crisis.

On the business walks we meet Carol, owner of the Pet store and had worked in Plasnewydd for many years. Not only did she outline problems in the area but straight away she wanted to introduce us around the community for a wider picture.  One concern was the declining number of businesses; high rent and few parking spaces puts increased pressure on owners. In our last session we spoke to two owners who were forced to shut down. They were worried that the fewer independent, varied shops there are, the less time and money people will spend in the area.

 “So what’s next?”

Our listening campaign is coming to an end in late January but from our neighbourhood and business walks we can already see a momentum building towards our action campaign. Groups and individuals are starting to come to us to talk about their problems and we’re seeing the beginnings of strong relationships within the area.

There is a lot of work still to be done and so far a lot of our work has been done with party members but by having one-to-ones with people in Plasnewydd, we are seeking to change that. We’ve already been invited to some community meetings and we intend to build on those so we can create something that goes beyond elections or party alignment and which really can improve things.

The reaction from our work so far has been tremendously encouraging and we are already seeing people who have never been active before asking if they can help. We are breaking new ground for many of us, both in the party and in Plasnewydd, but as long as we keep listening and keep people talking then we really can change something and ensure that we’re always building to future and better changes.

Ewan Moor – Cardiff West CLP

During the Labour leadership contest I was probably not the only Labour member who was a little bemused on hearing David Miliband’s promise to train 10,000 “community organisers” under the Movement for Change banner. It sounded nice – but what on earth did it mean?

A year and a bit on and I guess I am one of those community organisers myself.

So, what has happened in the intervening period to take me from friendly scepticism to active involvement? And what does community organising mean in practice?

It all began for me when Abby Jones, the Secretary of my CLP, Wimbledon, mentioned she had met someone from Movement for Change (M4C) in the course of her day job in Parliament. The message was that he was interested in “doing some work with us” as a different sort of constituency from the others he had been working in. For “different”, read Tory (Wimbledon was Labour between 1997 and 2005 though).

We discussed this on our Executive Committee and decided to give it a go. It sounded quite interesting and we had nothing to lose.

The next stage saw Stewart Owadally – our M4C organiser – meet up with senior members of Wimbledon CLP for one-on-one “conversations” in which we got to know each other and talked about what being Labour means for us. I found this quite a powerful experience, even more so for its simplicity. It is not every day that we explain ourselves to someone, and being properly listened to while we do is even rarer.

This aspect of listening well comes to the core of the M4C approach. The essence of community organising lies in the conversation itself and the relationships of trust that good talking and listening create.

What we have done

Since Stewart started working with us in Spring 2011, some of the more involved Wimbledon members have started conducting one-on-one meetings with other members, and our organiser and I have been meeting individually members from my own ward (where I am Secretary).

We have also gone out on a couple of what M4C calls “neighbourhood walks”, centred around the local business community. We have been calling in on small businesses in an area that is somewhat removed from main shopping areas and without the footfall they have.

Katy Neep, who came up with the small business walk idea, says: “It is really interesting to just go out and listen to how local businesses find operating in our local community, putting the emphasis on what it is like for them and what types of ideas they have. It is a really invigorating and inspiring way to spend a couple of hours.”

“Naturally we want to get more people on board with the party and voting for us, but once you remove this ‘sell’, it becomes clear that people are really interested in talking and sharing their experiences. Sometimes with door knocking you can go 10 houses without speaking to a soul or getting a conversation going. With the business walk, the majority of places I went into had someone who wanted to have a chat of some form. It really does help to show the local community in a different perspective and makes you think about the art of the possible – and the potential of the dream!”

The main subject that came up was parking – not enough of it, silly regulations governing it and over-zealous wardens – all having the effect of deterring customers. Empty shop fronts (and attempts to convert into residential property) were another concern. Businesses want clusters of commercial premises to attract more people to spend time in an area.

Christine Bickerstaff, a Wimbledon legend and surely one of the hardest-working Labour members anywhere, says: “I thought people would tell us to jump in the lake. There were some people, including me, who were very sceptical. But now I am totally sold on it as far as this sort of effort goes.”

“We were careful to avoid distracting customers and were surprised about how welcoming businesses were to us. We came unannounced, yet most of the business owners we spoke to had something thoughtful and relevant to say about what was happening in the area and their expectations for it.”

Next steps

We are now at the stage of planning action on issues that were identified from conversations we have had. Also, after our last All-Member Meeting we came up with a plan to put into motion for small businesses in the area we have covered, including re-connecting with the owners (with whom we plan to maintain an ongoing relationship).

It is not all plain sailing though. So far our work has been carried out mostly by those who were already active in the local party – but we hope to change that. Some people have found difficulties in setting up one-on-one meetings with members; more generally, turning positive intentions into achievement is not always straightforward.

However the general consensus on our work with M4C is overwhelmingly positive. We are doing things we would not have done before, and we are working in a different way. We are enthused, and looking forward to help make positive changes happen.

Ben Cobley (@bencobley) – Member and Ward Secretary at Wimbledon CLP