HOPESTRUGGLESUCCESS

This ‘book in
eight minutes’
‘It is impossible to
brings together engage properly
the reflections
of those who with a place or a
joined the first
OUR SOCIETY person without
gathering in
Leeds on 20
engaging with all
January 2011. of the stories of
OUR SOCIETY that place and
aims to be a
learning and that person.’
support
network for
Chimamanda
people involved Ngozi Adichie
in community
action.

Here are some

of the hopes,
struggles and
successes
shared by
participants.

Words: everyone
Pictures: Sophie
Ballinger
Editing: Julian
Dobson, Jo Dobson

My hope is based on my to engage with strangers and ‘bottom line’ to consider more
children. I have in the past new connections and to show an seriously what is really important
wanted them to achieve success interest in them; and most of all in life, such as family, community
through external measures – their concern about the world and personal wellbeing, and
exams, school reports, music and the welfare of the people in place far less emphasis on
exams, dancing lessons, sports it. material consumption and
results. But I have learned that The best decision I made traditional measures of
these things are like food that is with my husband was to send economic growth.
empty of calories – you get a them to a school run by Such a vision is undoubtedly
sugar rush but no lasting feeling Quakers. My struggle is to worry political in nature, but could
of satisfaction. that they will find the world a engage people from all sides of
As a parent I have learned difficult place to live in but my the current political divide, who
to let go of my anxiety about hope and expectation is that they are tired of conventional and
these external measures (though won’t. unsustainable solutions to the
I still want to support my kids to - Janet Dean world’s problems
do and achieve the best they can) - Anon.
and to be satisfied in the
knowledge that they have My hope is that what
already achieved some important ultimately comes out of the big My idea of a community
and sustainable ‘credits’ for the economic problems of recent that has hope is that everyone
future. These are: their ability to years is a new model for life and has the opportunity to voice
make and care for friends, and to prosperity that genuinely their own concerns, express what
survive the loss of friendship; enthuses and engages large they want to see, without feeling
their capacity for love of their numbers of people. Such a pressurised or threatened.
family and partners; their ability model would look beyond the - Christine Launder

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HOPESTRUGGLESUCCESS
‘My hope… a new model for life and
prosperity that genuinely enthuses’
Simon’s hope for Cullingworth ‘I hope we don’t break down and all
protect ourselves, let’s hope we open
The pub’s shut – the smoking ban did for
up what we have.’
that.
The village hall struggles on – managed by Anon
two old men both in their eighties now.
There’s no junior cricket any more as no-one
wants to coach. And the imposition of ever more Migrant/ethnic minority women empowered
control, strictures and rules makes it less
interesting and more frustrating. Migrant women, or women from ethnic
There’s not an under-10 football team – the minority communities, sign up to take part in a
great bloke who ran it (an ex-director of Bradford short radio production course at the local
City) died and nobody stepped up. community radio station.
Yet it’s still a fine place – the Scouts carry on, Some are middle aged, speaking only basic
there’s an am-dram group and any number of English, having spent two to three decades raising
little groups and activities. their family after coming as a bride from their
None of this came from Government. None country of origin and having met few English
of this resulted from state involvement. I think the speakers in their everyday lives.
Government – local and national – is an obstacle. Some are young, having come recently to this
People have become petitioners – supplicants country and wanting to learn as much as they can.
demanding of other people’s money. They learn computing, interviewing, digital
There is no freedom. No independence. No editing – all taught in English, with ESOL support
autonomy. where they need it. They make radio programmes
We have riots – to get others to pay more. and get to know each other.
We have protests – to protect the very state They quickly begin to grow in self confidence
that has failed this place. – they put together interviews and short features
Come to Cullingworth. Help us. Guide us. about topics which interest them. Often, the topics
But please stop taking our money and destroying include the darker side of life – domestic violence,
our community. elder abuse, female genital mutilation.
- Simon At the end of the course they take away with
them not just a better grasp of English but also a
‘I hope we can find a form of collectivism wider view of themselves and knowledge that their
that is based on individualism.’ opinions and concerns are valid to be heard.
- Anon - Anon

‘I am Spartacus!’

I am inspired when I
see a groundswell of
feeling, emotions,
opinion.

I experience hope
when anger and
injustice kicks people
into action…

I admire the people

brave enough to stick
their heads above the
parapet…

Social media is an
inspiring tool – e.g.
the recent
#iamspartacus
campaign or the
various “Twitter
revolutions”. “I am
Spartacus …” “No I
am Spartacus!…”

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HOPESTRUGGLESUCCESS
‘To walk and visit the countryside, without being
stared at, spoken to slowly, excluded from the open
spaces which we can all enjoy without hindrance.

It’s my countryside as much as it’s yours.’

- Anon

‘I remain convinced hope is fragile and

needs the struggle of many to keep it alive’
My hope is to see a more educated, informed and full of struggles, hopes and creators, and will not trap me in a
developed community in where I live. Underachievement and single role. Others make me ‘me’ and I make other people.
unemployment are major issues. My help need not be a burden to myself or others, nor will it
We need to protect our future generations, give them always need acknowledgement. But I remain convinced hope
hope, develop their willingness and desire to succeed in life is fragile and needs the struggle of many to keep it alive.
and take greater ownership of local issues. “One must imagine Sisyphus happy …” (Albert Camus)
Lack of education leads to poor health, welfare, - Anon
community engagement.
Ensure the community is involved in the local decision Inequality
making process, has a voice in the various decision making
The Spirit Level argues – rightly, I believe - that social
bodies and stages.
stability and cohesion are directly related to socioeconomic
- Anon
equality. So long as inequality is growing, struggle looks futile.
The market depends on payment of debts – with interest
Struggle – which leads to rich richer; poor poorer.
Government of the people … by the rich, for the rich
My hope is something I create, and creation is sometimes Success would be government/parliament proportionally
a struggle. When it comes easy, I have the strength and representative of all socio-economic groups governing on
resources to help, to carry, to nurture and more besides. behalf of everyone.
When I struggle I need others to help me think and reflect So sick of multimillionaires telling me ‘Money isn’t
and grieve and rest (from time to time) but my struggles make everything.’
me stronger and more hopeful in the end. Our society will be - Anon

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HOPESTRUGGLESUCCESS
‘It often takes an outsider to bring
us to our senses’
The story of Subotica Success would be measured by a
community that has decent housing
This is a true story which has inspired me.
with good access to transport, public
The city of Subotica in Serbia was historically
multi-ethnic/-faith/-lingual with no ethnic health and a good standard of
majority group. With the Yugoslav war the Serb, education.
Croat, Hungarian communities split apart. Many Christine Launder
left – the rest fell into defensive ghettos, stopped
learning from each other’s languages, stopped co-
operating. Social and physical fabric fell apart. In
one neighbourhood a large group of Muslim Towards successful third places
Roma refugees had arrived. The only thing that
unified the city was opposition to them. Yet Stevan Our first places are our families and our
Nicollic, spokesperson for the Roma, realised homes.
everyone suffered from the crumbling roads, Places of work are our second places and they
buildings and communications infrastructure, but provide many of us with a sense of worth and
no-one did anything. One day he hired a digger companionship over many years, but normally we
and a bunch of shovels and the Roma people return to our first places at the end of the day.
started to repair the road. When a Serb or Croat But a third place is where we go by choice.
went past they were given a shovel and by the end We can stay as long or little as we like. We meet
of the week they had a new road. This became the many people – family, friends or strangers – yet we
basis of a neighbourhood council that got things control how long we spend in their company. We
done. They other neighbourhoods followed suit – can share ourselves for as long or as little as we
now the city is regenerating. determine.
So what is a good third place?
Moral: It often takes an outsider to bring us to It’s the village at the heart of our city, the
our senses. place of worship, the shop, the theatre, the
- Phil Wood playground, it’s all those social spaces we call
public spaces.
Success would be an opening of the allotment Our communities’ success is measured by the
spirit – without the cliques, without the health of our third places.
homogeneity, without the adversity … See Project for Public Spaces - www.pps.org
- Anon - Sean Brady

Redundancy

After 20 years of
auditing and
inspecting public
services I’m being
made redundant.

I’d like my knowledge

and experience to
have meant
something – to be
available to the public
who have paid for it.

I’m struggling to see

an easy way for me to
do this, hence my
interest in contributing
and being part of the
network.

- Michael Newbury

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HOPESTRUGGLESUCCESS
What would success look like?
‘Success is a community-run bus system’
Through choice and opportunity to be involved, - Anon
allow mutuality and respect among everyone
within and external to rural villages to create the
means to work alongside each other and
progress towards strong, resilient and sustainable ‘Success is having nothing left to do/win’
future. - Anon
• Sharing stories
• Respecting difference
• Acknowledge the right to remain on the
margins
• Genuine partnership working amongst all
• Stepping together to achieve mutual goals
• Allowing space and safety to air and resolve
conflict
• Working for the common good and not
someone else’s vision / ideology of what
‘common good’ should be
• Permitting uniqueness and individuality
• Stop the paternalistic rot and social apartheid

- Anon

‘It all seems so simple – I struggle all the

time with why it doesn’t happen’
‘Show me some love’ the danger of taking politics out of the discussion is you
might lose the consideration of power differentials.
Community groups coming together to fix problems or Community action has to be political (but not necessarily
cracks in their community. party political) to change society.
Groups sharing knowledge on making their groups better - Anon
People spending time outside their jobs to offer
something back to the community. Towards equality
Businesses/influential (ordinary) people – keeping their
promises and getting the job done properly. Success would be a society with less inequality. I think
Expectations fulfilled. that would start with financial equality and then we could go
Teenagers/adults (18-24+) getting into employment from there. In my personal and work life, that would be
Businesses doing more to work with deprived areas. people living in decent standard housing, not a street where
Everybody sharing – more caring – ‘show me some love’. even school-kids know it is ‘rough’. It would be where
Keeping everyone up to date; communicating with children had clean and tidy clothes and didn’t stand out as
people. ‘not very nice’ and the subsequent bullying (or becoming a
Friendship, support, collaborating. bully) that follows. Where all young people had high
- Anon expectations, or equal opportunity to travel, go to the
pictures, have good coffee (good coffee features very highly in
Action has to be political my successful society!).
It all seems so simple – I struggle all the time with why it
Success has got to be linked to reducing some of the doesn’t happen.
inequalities that exist in this country (and this world). I think - Alyson Scott

5 Our Society • Our Stories • January 2011