Issue 5: The future is people powered

Welcome to the fifth issue of Innovation For Better Lives, our monthly newsletter where we share the tools, books, practices and people that inspire us to do better every day.  

This month, TACSI’s People Powered Responses team has put together a list of projects, books, videos and resources to inspire you to get involved in the groups, communities and social impact work happening right on your doorstep. 

1. The Dinner Party: This platform connects 21-45 year olds who are grieving the loss of a loved one, and aims to build support systems through lasting relationships.

2. Jenny McLeish and Maggie Redshaw’s paper titled Peer support during pregnancy and early parenthood: a qualitative study of models and perceptions has great insights into the importance of social support volunteers in improving psycho-social health and wellbeing.

3. Participatory City is an international initiative that’s building community participation at a grassroots level. It’s encouraging to see how adopting this approach can often catalyse new opportunities for communities and create far-reaching change and impacts.

4. Best Models for Carer Workforce Development is a detailed report from Nicola Paton and Frances Sanders that explores how we could use peer-to-peer models to develop Australia’s carer workforce.

5. UpTogether is a US-based community initiative designed to lift up the voices of individuals. It demonstrates the power of investing in people, and the opportunities available when we provide the resources to support people to determine their own futures.

6. WA’s Fare Go Food Truck has to be one of the best examples we’ve seen of diverse cultural groups coming together to make something delightful and empowering.

7. If you’re looking for ways to put people at the heart of your business, this beautifully designed guide from the University of Melbourne is a great place to start.

8. Huddlecraft is a network that’s bringing people together to unearth and multiply potential. The platform supports people to create, host and join purposeful, pop-up peer groups.

9. This presentation from bell hooks for The New School is all about how people from marginalised groups can move from pain to joy and healing. Here, bell speaks about innovative and emotional ways to create movements of decolonization in both practice and imagination.  

10. Early in 2020 (when the chaos of the pandemic was in full swing), we collaborated with Charles Leadbeater to discuss what happens when love meets power. We looked at what was happening in the world, and we found proof that investment in people is one of the best catalysts for enabling change.

11. In his book The Happiest Man on Earth, the late Eddie Jaku (a Holocaust survivor) discusses his approach to bringing others on side in a way guided by humility, love and leadership. His story is an excellent example of the leadership needed to drive people-powered solutions forward with authenticity.

12. All of Us is an excellent high-level guide to respectfully engaging communities, developed by NSW Health in collaboration with the incredible KA McKercher and Sue Muller

13. The civil rights movement is one of the best examples of people power in the last 100 years, and Selma is an incredible film that captures the spirit and power of people working together for a collective good.

14. On the same topic, we implore you to listen to Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech in its entirety. We all know its iconic lines and the effect it had on the world, but listening from start to finish is the best way to reflect on the suffering that led to this pivotal moment in history (and to appreciate the incredible power of mobilisation).

15. Speaking of leadership, this interesting article does an excellent job of illustrating the opportunities leaders have to build capability to bring about change in the people around them.

16. Civic Square is a project out of the UK that’s investing in communities to create new spaces that are directly influenced by people that will use them. Their focus is on designing infrastructure that connects people and builds bonds for change at the local level.

17. This article from the Global Innovation Fund is a great argument for taking risks in the development of systems of change. The peer-to-peer space is ever-evolving, and if pioneers play it too safe we may miss crucial insights hiding in plain sight. 

18. The Loss Project is a collective out of the UK that connects people experiencing grief or trauma. The group recognises the power of people supporting people, and their goal is to transform, and even celebrate, these experiences to help combat feelings of isolation. 

19. The Groundswell Project Australia’s Compassionate Communities follows a globally recognised approach to improving end-of-life care by mobilising community support systems. 

20. Just Listening Communities is a free community space built to encourage feelings of connection for people experiencing psychosis, suicide or other emotional distress. It was formed from a need to recenter the process of healing around community, and to provide sustainable responses that develop self determination. 

21. This heartwarming piece about a Friday afternoon barbeque is a great example of how investing in social infrastructure builds stronger communities.

22. Sober in the Country is an initiative to promote safe drinking habits in remote and regional Australia. We love reading about how social inclusion is being used as a vehicle to drive change, and it’s a great case study on the impact of community action.

23. Language plays an extremely important role in building human connection. Are you bogged mate? is another excellent example of community building in regional Australia, and it shows that if you’re trying to bring about change in a community, you need to speak its language.

25. The Rehabilitation Project is a drug and alcohol support service that provides a safe space for Muslims experiencing addiction. Spaces like this where a community can come together without judgement is an important part of making sure no one is left behind.

26. If there’s one story on this list that demonstrates the resilience and spirit that people-powered communities foster, it’s this one: Young people in war-torn Ukrainian cities are throwing "repair raves" to aid recovery efforts. This is an extraordinarily wonderful example of how people band together in the face of adversity, and how this connection is essential to working through tough social challenges.

27. Palaces for People by Eric Klinenberg is an excellent book all about how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarisation, and the decline of civic life.

28. This piece in The New York Times titled How Can We Bring an End to the ‘Epidemic of Loneliness’ is an emotional plea from the U.S. Surgeon General to invest in social infrastructure, and it’s well worth a read.

Do you have a people-powered story you can’t stop thinking about?

Drop it in the comments ????????????