Animating Compassionate Communities in Stirling
Strathcarron Hospice is well known for the support they provide to people with long term conditions. The Compassionate Communities Team uses an approach called Asset Based Community Development to support people to be part of community life, throughout life, right up to the end. Our community building work involves working alongside not only those who are unwell or bereaved but also anyone who would like to contribute to community life by sharing their gifts, skills or things that they are passionate about. My role as Community Builder in Stirling City Centre has been funded by the Ideas, Innovation and Improvement Fund, and started in February 2021. This project is in partnership with Creative Stirling and the Kitchen at 44 King Street and is running until the end of July.
Often, we as community members are asked what is wrong in our communities. What could be improved? What are our needs? My role in the City Centre has been to change the focus to what is strong. In the words of Cormac Russell, Managing Director of Nurture Development, “Every single person has a gift. The world is not complete until that gift is seen, given and received”. One of the most powerful things we can do is to make a contribution to others that works to the benefit of all of us, by using one of our skills and strengths to make life better for ourselves and our neighbours. This could be by using our sense of humour, knitting, cooking, organisational skills… in my experience it can often be something that we don’t even recognise as a skill because we find it so easy! Connecting with our neighbours and those with similar interests is important for so many reasons, just one of these being that if someone was to become unwell or bereaved they would then have a support system already in place.
Working through lockdown has had its challenges, but I have had the privilege of meeting with people who have been happy to chat on walks and online. The folks who help out and access Stirling Community Food have also welcomed me along once a week to chat with them. It has been brilliant to meet so many people who have shared their stories about how they have banded together with their neighbours, fellow church congregation, group members etc to use their strengths to support each other through the pandemic. We are building up a picture of our vibrant, skilled city centre and looking forward to sharing this in a variety of ways.
On 5th June we hosted a participatory art event at Made in Stirling (King Street). The focus for this event was “There’s No Community Without You”. We invited people to write down or draw what they would like to contribute. We are collating a skills map, which will be shared on the Stirling Community Builder website and other channels when it is complete.
We are hosting a series of short films to celebrate the ways our community has come together through the pandemic. We know of some fantastic examples of residents who have created Facebook / WhatsApp platforms, shared food or books to bring people together, and we are looking forward to learning more!
If you would like to be involved in carrying on the positive conversations about the ways that community members can get together to use their skills to make life more harmonious and fun in Stirling City Centre, please do get in touch: hannah.gray3@nhs.scot
For more information about Compassionate Communities work, please visit: Strathcarron Compassionate Communities | Strathcarron Hospice