Jenny Fox, Coordination Group member of LocalMotion Carmarthen, pens her experience of the LocalMotion Learning Summit and how it shifted her thinking around power and where it lies.
Another sunny Tuesday morning–I get up with dogs around my ankles needing walks, then off to the bus stop (trying to be more sustainable with my journeys), to sit and ponder, remembering to press the bus stopping device at the university…Oh yes, it is LocalMotion Learning Summit day in Carmarthen! It was so busy with the Carmarthen Place Visit the day before that I felt a little shattered after all the talks and walks, history and mystery, culture and supper from Deri at The Warren, and the amazing Welsh dancing!
On entering Yr Egin, we were signposted to breakfast bites and coffee. YES! I knew energy levels needed a high point today and decided to get supercharged. But what were we actually going to achieve, would my contribution make a difference, and did I really have it in me to survive the day?
Social talks, Post-it notes, felt pens and chatter took up the first few exercises, while speed dating the other attendees was a fun and engaging activity. Words of flourishing communities, doughnut economics, becoming braver, co-working, joined-up thinking, and environmental contemplation entered and left my head. Yes, it all felt like a typical Learning Summit, with similar thoughts.
The buzz of mixing with individual funders, Place representatives and facilitators was engaging, as we worked on our similarities, issues, and dreams. It’s always nice to know that there are others who have similar thoughts and as we shared another coffee break together there was more chat to intake. Back we go again …. into the conference room.
On our feet we were encouraged to step around the room chasing A4 sheets of paper with random words that we were wanting to follow, such as joined-up working, community collaboration and power dynamics. This was mixed with conversation and open discussion about not having to agree with all, and choosing to meander to empathise with different perspectives. People shared the microphone, and as they spoke, we were delving deeper into the unknown. It felt a little strange and I was uneasy — was this a challenge too far? Someone stole the microphone and disappeared; what was going on? They then spoke and we couldn’t see them, but we could hear meaningful and powerful words that brought me to tears about the basic desire of people who are hungry, lonely, and scared. I felt that pain in my soul that those words had carved.
POWER. Where was the POWER? Who had the POWER? Why did they have the POWER? What changes could the POWER make? How can the POWER be shifted? Again, I felt overwhelmed. It was like someone pushing against my personal barriers and trying to break through. The thought of discussing power did not sit well with me as I knew it was always funders that had the power, didn’t they? The conversation shifted in an ad hoc way around the room:
- Collaboration power
- The power of care and support
- The power of acting differently
- Power dynamics
- The power of systemic change
- Longevity power
- Power of transition
- Thinking differently power
- Co-working power
Then the funders explained that they had little power, that they were restricted by their organisation…and I suddenly realised that the actual power was with the communities, and that was truly enlightening. Philanthropy in its finest moment, that people and communities have the power to systematically, and positively change the future.
By someone physically ripping the system up that day, we realised that the communities could shape their future, and the global longevity of communities taking ownership could be shared the world over. Sustainable social, environmental and economic models could be repeated time and time again, sparking innovation, resilience and deeper thinking.
What did I learn that sunny Tuesday? That injustice, oppression, uncertainty, and an unfair society cannot survive. The way forward is action, cohesion, strength, partnership working and delivery of major systemic change.