The first thing that Fatima noticed was the support from her network. As you learn from the other lessons, a socially engaged art project cannot be done with a single person’s efforts. So, she needs to reach out to potential partners. However, before contacting her network, Fatima began to think about how her idea could benefit others and the importance of being flexible in a collaborative project. Remember, what you think is important may not be necessarily significant for your colleagues. Therefore, it is critical to encourage key stakeholders’ participation in the early stage and reflect on their views.
Then, Fatima promotes her idea at the Student Union, where her idea can be exposed to a broader audience. Since she aims to reach out to diverse groups, she created a concise and compelling poster to attract colleagues. She encourages colleagues to bring their own initiatives when she initiates the project. In this way, participants become more active, and the diversity of a project can be enhanced. Fatima also provided feedback after the meeting and organised a social media group for chatting to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Fatima and the team began to shape the project by sharing their initiatives and perspectives. She also manages meetings with a collaborative online platform to enable active interaction in the team. Since a few dominant leading personnel did NOT lead the project, team members feel they are respected, and the project also means a lot to them. In other words, the team understands each other’s value for the project by utilising interactive platforms and being open to colleagues’ views.