Now, Fatima works in a museum. She recently identified an opportunity to engage with children and families while meeting with colleagues. Since her initial development with the existing and new network is essential, we will introduce Fatima’s very first initiation of the project. Our focus here is how Fatima might develop a new SEAP which aims to capture these experiences of her local community How can Fatima and her colleagues at the museum make use of the ideas of relationship-as-process as a way to build new connections and develop sustainable partnerships with the community and other stakeholders so that their ideas and aim for the project can be realised?
Here, each phase of the Relationship-as-process tool contains a series of questions which we would like you to reflect upon and which will form the basis of the next activity as we think about the phases of the relationship development and the contexts they can work within.
The downloadable set of question will be provided by the end of this unit for your reference.
8.1 Association phase
- Are there activities that Fatima’s museum colleagues could do to develop their own knowledge and skills for socially-engaged arts approaches?
- How can Fatima support this – her experience could be very valuable so are there specific people or things she could make use of or recommend?
- Would there be specific people who they might benefit from contacting and speaking to for guidance?
- What might Fatima suggest as a way to develop their understanding of the most appropriate way to create links with the community itself?
- Are there things which need to be considered when starting to make links with project partners and other project stakeholders?
- How can the team be sure that they are approaching any project with a clarity, understanding and empathy for the children and their families?
- Who could help with this so that the relationship is built from the very start on mutual trust?
- What do they need to do to reach out to the community?
- Are there others – not in the community or part of the museum team – who should be involved, and how might they be contacted?
8.2 Consolidation phase
- What kind of challenges might the team face in contacting key people in the community – can Fatima’s prior experience and knowledge of building relationships with participants and stakeholders be useful in building-up a relationship which is open and respectful?
- How would the team describe their project to the children and their families?
- What should they consider to make sure that their ideas for the project are clear to the community – who could help in developing this so that the purpose of the project is relevant and the value in socially-engaged arts’ approaches is understood?
- What kind of roles might members of the team and the project stakeholders need to adopt, and how can they work to guarantee that the purpose and goals for the project reflect everyone’s motivations and intentions for being involved?
8.3 Continuation phase
- What kind of practical considerations are needed as the team begin to develop and define the project and build their network of participants?
- What kind of expertise might be needed for Fatima and the team to plan and carry out any practical and creative activities?
- How can the project team be confident that information about the project is reaching the children and their families?
8.4 Transformation phase
- What kind of decisions for the definition and allocation of key roles could Fatima and the team make to ensure all aspects of the project are managed effectively?
- What kinds of change might be expected in terms of the team’s areas of responsibility from when they started to discuss and plan their project?
- Are there specific characteristics or qualities that the team might have to demonstrate that their relationship is a positive and sustainable one?
Credits
Illustration Design – Tara O‘CarrollInstagram: @taraodesigns_Behance: https://www.behance.net/taraocarro9b9aLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara–o-carroll-0a9187195