Establishing a ‘Centre for Community Organising’: The Camberwell Model of employing art and design methodologies in community organising

"At the festival, the room was charged by a breadth of expertise and a shared hunger for action, reminding us why diversity is strength within community organising….as a community organiser, I learnt a lot about creative methods of facilitation and how they can aid listening workshops and build relationships and solidarity between diverse participants. I have been sharing this with my broader team and organisation, so there has been a wider impact on the organising community too!" Albinia Stanley, Community Organiser, Southwark and Peckham Citizens

Despite the well-meaning intentions behind socially engaged art and design practices, their impact on communities often falls short of expectations, prompting the critical question: "Who truly benefits?" Since joining Southwark Citizens, Camberwell College of Arts, part of University of the Arts London, have been exploring how to use art and design methodologies to build long-term relationships with local communities. The work we have been doing has been coined by Citizens UK ‘the Camberwell model’, acknowledging the benefit that working to our strengths brings to the local alliance and the university’s social purpose agenda. In this presentation we will share some of our initial ideas and creative projects that show how a large bureaucratic university can adapt its practices to embrace the agile nature of locally embedded community organising.

• Organisation