Wise Connections: co-designing places to support creative ageing
Lead Research Organisation:
The Open University
Department Name: Faculty of Sci, Tech, Eng & Maths (STEM)
Abstract
As we grow older, we need to keep growing our intellectual, social, cultural and professional aspirations to produce something of value for us and for others. Research suggests that as we age, retaining and growing these creative capabilities is fundamental for our health and wellbeing, the wellbeing of our families but also the development of our society at large. However, research also suggests that as we grow older we progressively find fewer real opportunities to (re-)imagine, (re-)discover and truly integrate what we value to do or be into the production of something of value. In other words, as we grow older there is an increased marginalisation of our creative capabilities.
The aim and vision of the project is to respond to this challenge by creating a kind of 'habitat' that provides opportunities for people (and the communities in which they belong) to keep growing their creative capabilities as they age. This habitat is envisaged as a network of physical and/or digital spaces, referred to as 'allotments', where people and organisations have opportunities to co-produce or simply engage with physical and/or digital socio-cultural materials and activities, referred to as 'seeds'. Seeds can reach people in their own homes, public or professional environments and aim to work as triggers that inspire and enable people to (re-)imagine and (co-)create something of value for them and others. 'Seeds' are developed to foster curiosity for exploration, connection of people's interests, emotions, aspirations and ideas, integration of different identities, experiences and capabilities and experimentation. The value of this proposal is the opportunity to access 'seeds' that enable people to shape their own 'places', i.e. their own spaces of social connections of trust, valued practices and environments, where they can discover, integrate and connect what they value to do into the production of something of value.
The project will develop the first family of seeds and allotments but also the organisational and enterprise model that is required in order to sustainably grow this ecosystem.
The aim and vision of the project is to respond to this challenge by creating a kind of 'habitat' that provides opportunities for people (and the communities in which they belong) to keep growing their creative capabilities as they age. This habitat is envisaged as a network of physical and/or digital spaces, referred to as 'allotments', where people and organisations have opportunities to co-produce or simply engage with physical and/or digital socio-cultural materials and activities, referred to as 'seeds'. Seeds can reach people in their own homes, public or professional environments and aim to work as triggers that inspire and enable people to (re-)imagine and (co-)create something of value for them and others. 'Seeds' are developed to foster curiosity for exploration, connection of people's interests, emotions, aspirations and ideas, integration of different identities, experiences and capabilities and experimentation. The value of this proposal is the opportunity to access 'seeds' that enable people to shape their own 'places', i.e. their own spaces of social connections of trust, valued practices and environments, where they can discover, integrate and connect what they value to do into the production of something of value.
The project will develop the first family of seeds and allotments but also the organisational and enterprise model that is required in order to sustainably grow this ecosystem.
| Description | This is an ongoing project but there are some preliminary findings. The project has created an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also organisations and local communities to "think outside the box" and discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. The box has taken several different realisations (as a community game, as a door to door 'passing the parcel initiative' or as a static box in various venues). One of the key objectives of these experiments was to understand whether these boxes can generate interest but also interactions that can lead to initiatives. The current study show that these boxes has been adopted and appropriated by various settings (GP practice, Community Libraries, Local heritage initiatives) demonstrating the feasibility of the approach. |
| Exploitation Route | As describe above, a number of public organisations, local communities and private buisness has been using the approach beyound our participation as research team. This includes a GP practice in london, a Coffee shop, a public library and Church in Bristol.. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare |
| URL | https://wiseconnect.weebly.com/ |
| Description | This is an ongoing project so here we summarise some very preliminary indications of impact The project has created an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also communities and organisations to "think outside the box" with the objective discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. The box has taken several different realisations (as a community game, as a door to door 'passing the parcel initiative' or as a static box in various venues). The boxes has been adopted and appropriated by various settings (GP practice, Community Libraries, Local Community Project initiatives) demonstrating its potenital impact |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Wise ConnectionsPartnership |
| Organisation | Alive Activities |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The Open University brings an extensive research track record in the area of citizen-led design and the management of large collaborative projects that involve citizens, community groups and public, private and third sector organisations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Local Learning is a non-profit organisation with expertise on creating engaging and inclusive places through street theatre, storytelling, art, film, radio, archaeology and digital technologies. They bring expertise on creative engagement and a network of organisations and places working with older people. AgeUK Oxfordshire and the Age of Creativity network focus on creative & cultural activities to support better health and wellbeing of older people bringing this expertise and access to the Age-Friendly communities. Alive is a charity dedicated to the quality of life of older people and their carers and offer strategic guidance and connections. |
| Impact | The creation of an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also communities and organisations to "think outside the box" with the objective discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Wise ConnectionsPartnership |
| Organisation | Myers-Insole Local Learning |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The Open University brings an extensive research track record in the area of citizen-led design and the management of large collaborative projects that involve citizens, community groups and public, private and third sector organisations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Local Learning is a non-profit organisation with expertise on creating engaging and inclusive places through street theatre, storytelling, art, film, radio, archaeology and digital technologies. They bring expertise on creative engagement and a network of organisations and places working with older people. AgeUK Oxfordshire and the Age of Creativity network focus on creative & cultural activities to support better health and wellbeing of older people bringing this expertise and access to the Age-Friendly communities. Alive is a charity dedicated to the quality of life of older people and their carers and offer strategic guidance and connections. |
| Impact | The creation of an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also communities and organisations to "think outside the box" with the objective discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Wise ConnectionsPartnership |
| Organisation | Open University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Open University brings an extensive research track record in the area of citizen-led design and the management of large collaborative projects that involve citizens, community groups and public, private and third sector organisations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Local Learning is a non-profit organisation with expertise on creating engaging and inclusive places through street theatre, storytelling, art, film, radio, archaeology and digital technologies. They bring expertise on creative engagement and a network of organisations and places working with older people. AgeUK Oxfordshire and the Age of Creativity network focus on creative & cultural activities to support better health and wellbeing of older people bringing this expertise and access to the Age-Friendly communities. Alive is a charity dedicated to the quality of life of older people and their carers and offer strategic guidance and connections. |
| Impact | The creation of an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also communities and organisations to "think outside the box" with the objective discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Dare to hope Box |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The project has created an interactive approach to help people as they grow older but also communities and organisations to "think outside the box" with the objective discover how they can mobilise and connect their interest and skills to do something that is of value for them and others. The approach is using a 'box' that is distributed at homes, GP practices, Libraries, Coffees shops to encourage the self-driven discovery, development & realisation of initiatives between people and organisations. The box has taken several different realisations (as a community game, as a door to door 'passing the parcel initiative' or as a static box in various venues). The current study show that these boxes has been adopted and appropriated by various settings (GP practice, Community Libraries, Local Community Project initiatives) demonstrating the potential impact of the approach. At the moment, it is estimated that more that 100 people interacted with the box. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://wiseconnect.weebly.com/ |