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CLIENT
LYLAS, Platform NYC, PAM
ROLE
Design Researcher, Facilitator
TEAM
Shuyu Fang, Dasha Zlochevsky, Esther Yip
LOCATION
New York City
Facilitating a gathering with women leaders of New York City to increase shared relatedness and support.
Facilitation Design, Design Research, Event Design, Project Management
New York City is full of passionate womxn leaders working towards female empowerment and inclusion. What communities are they building?
BACKGROUND
Community is about doing something that makes belonging matter, and New York is full of passionate and tenacious women who are building mission driven communities. When my team and I spoke to a number of women who were working towards female empowerment and inclusion, we heard that although there is a striking rise in the number of change-makers working towards building community and fighting for social justice, there was a lack of meaningful connections among community leaders outside of partnerships and formal events, there was no platform to voice for support and also that there was no shared sense of the meaning of community.
RESULTS
Learning about this gap, we designed and hosted a warm gathering with three community leaders to celebrate the work that they are doing and to foster deep relatedness by sharing their challenges, offering support and continuing their relationship beyond the event.
THE BEGINNING
We conducted short interviews with womxn leaders to gain an insight into their experiences in leading communities & understand their needs.
What we heard
All the womxn shared similar feelings about the work they were doing. They were committed to their mission but were feeling isolated and exhausted. They wanted to -
Ground themselves in the purpose of their work in community building.
Build meaningful
relationships with each
other outside of events.
Find ways to support each
other and work together towards a common goal.
DESIGNING THE GATHERING
We began brainstorming ideas about how we
can create a space where they can reconnect to their purpose, share their challenges and find support.
Designing the conversation
Event planning & Invitations
The aim of the gathering was to create an informal space where the ladies can truly connect. We designed activities based on the intended energy level, session flow and emotional safety.
The experience of the gathering begins with the invitation. We finalized a venue, date and time and sent out e-invites to community leaders.
Developing materials
To make the gathering engaging, warm and efficient, we designed several materials like - Facilitation guide, activity craft supplies, welcome posters, Name tags, stickers, feedback forms and thank you mementos.
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The conversation agenda
Introduction & Community Agreements
Get to know each other
Seeing each other
Sculpting your community
Listening & consulting
Why are we here?
What is community?
How can we help each other?
HOSTING THE GATHERING
We chose to host the gathering in a cozy apartment- it was an ideal space for intimate conversations.
Introductions & Agreements
As the ladies arrived, we broke the ice with fun introductions and community agreements. To ground us into the intention of being together, we shared answers to two questions
Why did you choose to be
here today? Name 3 communities you are a part of.
Seeing each other
In order to begin an easy conversation about understanding where everyone is coming from, we went around in a circle answering these questions
Why does being in
community matter to you? Recall a moment when you felt genuinely belonged?
Sculpting your community
Materials can help in expressing thoughts and ideas that sometimes words fail to do. We gave participants earthy clay, beads and wire to build a sculpture that creatively represents their community.
Through their sculptures, they were able to engage in a deeper conversation about the importance of the work that they do and how it is extremely important to stay determined.
What their sculptures depicted
"We are all branching out but are connected by the same roots. Our communities are clusters of like-minded people."
"The jewels show that we center our values in everything we do. We might have different goals but our values guide us."
"The layers show the diversity we bring. I left the circle open to make space for new people and their ideas to join in."
Listening, Sharing, Consulting
We conducted an activity to unleash local wisdom and where the ladies provide practical and imaginative help and support to each other.
Person A shares a challenge they are facing while Person B and C act as consultants. They actively listen and then probe to understand the problem better. The consultants discuss solutions or suggestions. Person A turns away, patiently listens and makes notes.
Giving a stranger the opportunity to provide advice to their problems gave them a new perspective. They found relatability in the personal and professional challenges they faced.
"Thank you so much! I learnt the importance of aligning ourselves to a shared purpose"
MARGARET SMILEY
Founder of LYLAS NYC
"I understood that expressing the importance of community will energize other to continue making change."
SHAHIRAH ELAIZA
Performing Arts Mosaic, NYC
"I loved having these honest conversations that humanize us. We're going home with friends and work partners!"
NADIA MCKINNRY
Platform NYC
BIG THANKS
To Marc & Hannah, for guiding us and introducing us to the art of facilitation. To Margaret, Nadia and Shahirah for trusting us to host this event and making time for us on a Sunday afternoon. And to Monica, for lending us and trusting us with her enchanting apartment.
Designing a game to recognize consent and boundaries
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