I’m giving my blog this week over to tell you about a new training course that I’m pleased to be able to bring to you.
Following comments from some local residents and a couple of opportunities that arose through unplanned means, we have put together a Creative Writing Introductory Course. This is completely free for local residents.
Through 6 sessions that will be delivered with a mix of live ‘online via zoom’ and ‘work offline at your own pace’ learning, we will give you an overview of how to get started in Creative Writing, with hints and tips along the way to help you get into writing in its various forms.
Joining me to bring this course are 2 experts – Susan Marshall and Kev McPhee – local writers who want to inspire and help you on your own journey to writing. Additionally, our friends at Camelon Arts will be supporting in a variety of ways. During the course there will be various practical tasks for you to do along the way that will take you through different styles of writing which might help you decide (if you haven’t already), what kind of writer you think you want to be, or what writing style you will have. At the end of it, we’ve got something special planned – but we’ll keep that under wraps for now! What we can say is that as well as the surprise, we will have other learning options that will focus on specific types of writing so that you can continue in your chosen field.
Right now, as the 10 second clip below shows, I’m busy editing videos and tidying up the sessions to make this the best it can be for you. This would have been so much easier to get you in a room together but that’s obviously not to be at the moment.
For now, if you’re interested in being a part of this course, simply click the link below to be taken to a survey monkey page where you can insert your contact details and we’ll be in touch with more information. We aim to start the course in late February.
I have always enjoyed canals, often walking along their towpaths, the occasional experience of being on a barge and over the years taking part in some coarse angling. These have never been very productive sessions, but urban canals present their own characteristic challenges for the angler. Camelon and Tamfourhill are synonymous with the Canals, you cannot really think of one without the other, and these great engineering feats played a critical role with the establishment of the Port Downie or Camelon iron works in 1845 and it is unlikely that these famous works would have been built here if the canal had not been here first. In terms of community safety and the development of our local plans, it seems that the canal and Lock 16 can once again play a critical role in making the local community a thriving and dynamic place to live and work. I am aware of the positive contributions that Canal College and the soon to be relaunched go forth and Clyde have played in the life and regeneration of the local area through their focus on the canal. The conservation work and outdoor learning programmes supported by TCV and their nearby nature trail have provided another dynamic strand to the community’s involvement with the Canal. We have also had the Millennium Link Project which facilitated the creation of the Falkirk wheel and this has added another aspect to the area and contributed to the emergence of a new tourist attraction. There is therefore the potential to see the Canal further reenergise the local area, bringing skills, opportunities, and a fresh impetus to the community. There are plans for the redevelopment of Lock 16 and with the relaunch of Go Forth and Clyde (formally reunion) and the significant investment from Scottish canals and further inputs from Falkirk Council through the Growth Deal, this then very much seems like the right time to be supporting the local community to come forward and engage with these new opportunities.
I am fully aware that there have been long standing issues with anti-social behaviour and difficulties with substance misuse and other high-risk activities around the canal and the towpath. Consequently, many local people do not feel safe to go and make use of the canals outdoor benefits and are therefore missing out on the positives that this great outdoor resource can provide. The community safety survey and more recent postal survey, asking local tenants if they are interested and would like to see this area being better used, have indicated that they think this is a good idea, they would support the development of new community projects and would welcome the opportunity to make use of the canal and its environs, that is, if it can be made more accessible and safer. The community safety strategy will therefore be prioritising involvement in the further development of the lock 16 area, the tow path along to the Falkirk Wheel and potentially some artistic creations and landscaping projects around the Juniors car park. It will be important to make sure that all such developments meet the local communities’ aspirations, and that local people are at the centre of developing and implementing these projects. All developments need to be coordinated and joined up in a planned way and I will be ensuring that this happens with the voice and needs of the community at the centre of this process. I will off course keep everybody updated of all developments and as a first part to this I will be looking to involve some local people with developing the plans for the before mentioned projects.
A sunny day walking along the towpath
In partnership with Scottish Canals and other local agencies we plan to pilot, as part of the #tidyceangreen campaign, two full day canal clear up sessions. The intention is that these two days of activities will take place over the Easter School holidays (COVID Excepted) There will be an estimated 24 places available over the 2 days and participants will get a chance to help on the work boat, clear litter using paddle boards, take part in conservation and clear up activities on the tow path. Everybody will be made very welcome provided they have booked onto the activities, they will be suitable for young people, families, older people, and anybody with disabilities will be supported to take part. This will be a day on the canal with a difference, but the core of the pilot activities is to help with making the canal a safer, cleaner, and greener place whilst taking part in some fun and interesting activities.
The bigger and longer-term picture will be about the assured safety of people so that they can use and enjoy this great local resource. The vision could include, water sports, proper seating, organised walks, angling classes, volunteering opportunities and training courses, new information boards, local history murals and pop-up parks, training and employment initiatives and conservation and outdoor learning programmes, or simply somewhere to go for a nice walk and then a comfortable relaxed seat beside the old canal. These are admittedly only aspiration or a wish list but there is the potential to make them happen, so we need volunteers to come forward and we require the community to take ownership of their own vision. In the first instance please look out for advertising and information about the 2 days canal clear ups scheduled for April, and hopefully it can be the start of something much bigger.
Here is some music and a nostalgic look back at the history of the canal as it flows through Camelon onto Falkirk.
Musical tribute to the Forth and Clyde Canal through Falkirk
Before you ask, no, I haven’t just fallen on the keyboard to type the title of this blog, and nor am I writing about a new flat pack furniture shop!
Ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and gai, meaning“benefit” or “worth”. When put together, these terms talk about something that gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose. The concept of this idea comes from a larger and more inclusive philosophy used within the Japanese traditional health system called the Wuxing that was introduced into Japan in the early 6th century from China and embraced by local folk religion and culture.
It’s not a word I’ve come across before and I am often wary of these things from the Far East, but if it helps, it is similar to the French term “raison d’etre” that you may have heard – or “reason for being”. The diagram below might give you a bit more insight as to why I wanted to share this with you having read about this just the other day.
As you see, what the Japanese call Ikigai – we might call it contentment – lies at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. It is unique for everyone and can change in the course of life.
Ikigai is much more than a passion or profession. It is connecting those with a true vocation – not just a job – and something that really clicks for you. For me, it could easily be applied to my presence in this role as Community Coach. It’s what I love and I like to think I can be good at it (others viewpoint and results will ultimately judge that one!). Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund I can be paid for it, and it is certainly a role that many communities across Scotland could benefit from, as is fed back to me when I speak in network meetings that I have attended over the last 9 months.
But what could it be for you? Are you living your dream life just now, whether that be in study, work or retirement, or is there something missing? What would the ‘future you’ be looking back and saying to you right now? Keep going? Fix something? Start something? Get involved in something? Learn a new skill? Stop doing something? What does that ‘future you’ look like? Or to put it another way, what is that you would really love to do but life – or maybe just a simple need to exist – has got in the way?
As your Community Coach, it’s my role to work alongside you to help you on this journey. If we’re strict to the theme of this blog, I can work within my Ikigai to help you find yours! But in terms we’ll all understand, how can I help you reach your potential – the thing that the ‘future you’ is willing you on to. Is it training? Is it the confidence to get involved in something? Is it helping with job skills? Is it help to start your own business? Is it gaining a better grasp on basic life skills? Or is it just having someone to talk with who can help spur you on to find a way forward?
Through my role and the partnerships/connections that I’ve developed, I can help with all of these things. So what is it for you?
Why not get in touch today to start the journey to find your Ikigai? Email me (Dan) on communitycoach@tamfourhilltro.co.uk or call me on 07444 873151. Let’s make this happen together.
The mist will clear eventually and the path forward will emerge
I have been going back over the details of the community safety survey carried out between May and August last year and to consider how an interim strategy might address some of the clearer identified priorities. Often as you seek further clarity, gather additional information, and listen to new perspectives you reach a point where a clear route map and direction of travel comes into sight. However all too often for me this is usually followed by a period where the mist comes back down, and I am again fumbling in the dark and looking for a map or detailed plan to assist me navigate back out of the myriad of competing views, opinions, and policy positions. This has been particularly challenging when looking at our local issues and concerns about substance misuse and the manifest social and personal problems that are associated with addiction and dependency. This matter is of significant concern to the local community and there is anger and frustration that neither as a community or through the intervention of agencies have we been able to make significant progress or headway with this enormous social and individual problem. I want to just reflect upon the National context here prior to returning to our own local community safety strategy. The recent high-profile coverage of Drugs deaths in the Scottish news, media, public health sector, criminal justice system and political arenas has been intense, creating much heat but not often much light. Let us ponder the following:
The most recent records from 2019 recorded 1264 drugs deaths in Scotland.
Drug-related deaths in Scotland are at their worst level on record and at a higher reported rate than any EU country, according to new figures.
The latest National Records of Scotland (NRS) statistics indicate there were 1,264 drug-related deaths north of the border in 2019 – a 6 per cent rise on 2018. It marks the highest number since records began in 1996.
David Liddell, head of the Scottish Drugs Forum charity, said the deaths were a “national tragedy and disgrace” – calling for more treatment programmes and the decriminalisation of drug possession.
“The statistics announced today are a grievous reminder of the human cost of the ongoing public health crisis we face in Scotland,” said Mr Liddell.
This then is the context we operate within Camelon and Tamfourhill , our communities have proud traditions, the Mariners and the industrialisation and construction of the Canals , the radical Scotland tradition born from this area and the workers uprisings of 1820, but like much of central Scotland we have been living in the mist of a post-industrial society and a terrible consequence of that has been the devastation of sections of our communities and families through drug misuse and the nightmare of opiate addiction. It is quite obvious if we look at the age group of our resident drug dependent population, they are mainly in their 50s, in fact ages with me, and grew up in a quite different Scotland of the 1980’s. So, what has the local community safety survey and consultation highlighted in relation to this matter:
This category was recorded as being the second biggest local priority, when we look at the individual labels the following is noted: 75% of respondents were greatly concerned or fairly concerned about drug dealing and similarly 70% expressed the same views about the consumption and presumably also the buying and selling of Class A drugs (Community safety survey 2020)
There is considerable anger about people consuming drugs, and the buying and selling of drugs, drug paraphernalia being left about, the presence of drug addicts making it unsafe for children to use and play in the parks, they have an intimidating presence especially around the chemists and users gathering in public places to consume and deal drugs. There was acknowledgement that there was support services trying to make a difference, but the problem was often that drug addicts did not want help. There was empathy and understanding but the consensus was one of this matter being a problem and an extremely negative and harmful presence upon community and family life. These views and opinions were typical and consistent and were repeatedly stated comments from local people who completed the surveys.
From this highly emotive and damaging set of circumstances a community safety response is required that is supported by the wider community, can be implemented with the support of the relevant agencies and service providers and which has also to be empathetic to the needs and circumstances of the drug users themselves. Recovery and support to recovery must be central planks to this approach, the path to recovery is challenging but it is essential that the pathway is there and that we have the support and expertise available to help people onto that road when they are ready to begin that journey. This is a controversial area, but in my view, we are correctly moving towards dealing with the matter as a public health concern and away from it being a criminal matter. This now leads us into the ongoing policy debates that are currently raging, and this has a particularly local dimension with local man and independent drugs worker Peter Krydant planning to stand as an independent candidate in the Falkirk East Constituency in the Scottish parliamentary elections this May. Peter Krydant launched a mobile overdose prevention facility this year, giving drug users in Glasgow a safe space to inject. How would his approach fit with a local community safety strategy? Remember it is probably not currently legal.
With help from trained volunteers, Peter Krydant after launching his facility has been credited with saving lives thanks to the supply of clean needles and overdose-preventing naloxone. It sounds very pragmatic, but would it contribute to addressing the concerns expressed by local people and would it contribute to making our community a safer place to live? Another strand to the local strategy has to be about early intervention with our young people and to provide reliable, creditable, and relevant inputs around alcohol, drugs and risk taking, the local community safety strategy must be on the ball with all of these issues. The involvement of youth work approaches and the need to better equip our young people with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to reject harmful behaviours through the irresponsible consumption of drugs has to be a top priority of the strategy. Another complexity might be the move towards the decriminalisation of drugs or the regulation of their use, this is another massive contextual and policy area that will have considerable impact upon how we tackle these issues locally.
I cannot provide any easy answers here, but I would acknowledge that we have dedicated professionals operating in this field and they are already successfully working in the Camelon and Tamfourhill areas, and personally I would like to thank them for their dedication and professionalism, they work in an area that is extremely challenging and highly unpredictable. I have provided a contact list at the end of this article, along with some references to current policy positions around both the decriminalisation and the regulation of drugs and the intention here is to facilitate knowledge which enables people to consider the issues for themselves.
In conclusion here is the first question of the month for 2021, and I will keep this open until the end of February, so it is really a 6-week question, but it will be interesting to see the results and I will publish them on our social media and website. I hope that the mist starts to clear for us all and we can then find some clarity as to how we best move forward as a community and do this effectively and with compassion and empathy.
Hi. Dan here, your Community Coach. Let me ask you, which of the following categories you fall into?
Do you look back on things that happened in the past and wish it was like it was again? Or maybe you’re stuck because of things that happened to you, or that you did, in the past and can’t move forwards?
Do you feel you’re fine as things are right now and no change is necessary, or do you feel restricted because of how things are now?
Do you long for a future that is so much different to what it is now? Or maybe you have a dream of something that you could do, or that could be happening in the area or in your life generally?
Past – Present – Future. Past is Experience. Present is Experiment. Future is Expectation. So we could say that we can use our experience in our experiments to achieve our expectations. All are relevant and should be embraced but they have to lead somewhere and that’s important as we look at what can be achieved in the Camelon and Tamfourhill area.
We have a proud heritage in this area and it is important to learn from that and build on it. However, times have changed and so there is no point in generally wishing things were as they were before. We have to move forwards – to evolve with the times – but still ensuring we remain distinctives as Mariners.
And that’s where we look to the future. What does that look like? I know that’s going to be different for everyone reading this, but the simple truth is that we have a future to work towards and we must make every effort to do that. Certainly myself and John are here to help that happen and are encouraged by those who have already stepped up to join with us on this quest.
For now though, we have many good things happening in the area at present that we should celebrate. That is not to say it is all perfect but if you’re honest, was it ever perfect? Our perception of life changes as we age and sometimes it’s difficult to see beyond that. But despite the issues around at present that do seriously need sorting (and together we can work on that), we still have much to celebrate and be proud of. A strong foundation to build on.
CS Lewis wrote that “the past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays”. What’s he getting at? Nathan Blackaby describes himself in his book “Going against the Grain” as often having lived in the ‘frozen past, trying to defrost past moments, hurts, failures, and stuff that I did wrong (or the wrong that other people have done to me). All of these past events and moments are slowly defrosted so that I can re-experience that hurt – because, if I’m really honest, the hurt is real and comfortable at times, and easier to live with than without.” He goes on to say, “if I wasn’t defrosting stuff from the past, I could be found wandering in my head way off into the future somewhere. Future hopes, plans or dreams, future fears or points of anxiety and concern were all mapped out.” Blackaby, like Lewis, is not saying that past reflection or future thoughts are wrong – far from it. “But whether you are stuck in the past or lost in the future, consumed with health, wealth or family what-ifs, you are being robbed of the ‘now'”
So, what about now? 2021! It promised so much back in December last year but has started with renewed frustrations and restrictions. Some plans will have to be re-thought but that’s okay. Things will still happen. It may all still look different at least for the next few months, but there is still so much to be getting on with.
As well as working on the Community Growing activity with a new group of volunteers, there are many other exciting projects brewing away. A lot focuses around training and I am building a partnership with a training provider for a wide range of personal development courses that will come free of charge to local residents. I am also building my own bank of knowledge for sharing with others (individuals and organisations) and ensuring that Camelon and Tamfourhill are more widely represented and recognised in various networks both locally and nationally.
I am developing a Creative Writing programme and will have more on that in due course. We’ll pick up the Bicycle Recycling scheme once restrictions have lifted, and I have a draft plan for celebrating some of the historical nature of our area. Aside of that, I am facilitating more discussion between all the projects funded through the Our Place scheme, namely Camelon Arts, TCV and Cyrenians (Camelon Connect), so that we can work together more where needed and make each others lives easier which in turn will make the activities we all produce greater and even more beneficial to local people.
That last part is a key focus of my role, as I am here to help develop local people and organisations. All the projects we work on will be there to enable people to get involved at their level but with the intention to help them grow and become more involved in their community. This will also enhance the training programme options and additionally, I will shortly have a coaching programme to offer that will help individuals to move towards their potential whatever that may be.
To return to Nathan Blackaby’s book, he says “the ‘now’ is where we operate, where we impact and influence change, and it is where we are forged … with a ridiculous amount of potential, courage, hope, adventure and purpose.” I am genuinely excited about what is to come this year and hope you will hop on for the ride. As Blackaby again says, let’s “get busy living in the now and … we will see some action”.
As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, general comments or even complaints, please get in touch with me (Dan) via email at communitycoach@tamfourhilltro.co.uk or call 07444 873151.
We are delighted to be able to officially tell you that we have received some funding to help develop our Community Growing projects in the area. Here’s the official bit…
Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill are tackling climate change and contributing to a green recovery thanks to Community Tool Sheds and raised beds which will be helping the Camelon and Tamfourhill communities to reduce local carbon emissions through development of community growing spaces that are localised and accessible to all. The Community Tool Sheds and raised beds are funded through the Scottish Government’s Community Climate Asset Fund (CCAF) with Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill (via Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents Association) awarded a CCAF grant totalling £3,358.44 in January 2021. The CCAF is Scottish Government fund, administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful, and it was announced on 8 January 2021 that 279 community-based organisations from across Scotland had been awarded more than £3.2 million of funding to tackle climate change.
That’s the official speak done. What is means is that we will set up 2 Community Gardening Tool Sheds – one in each of Camelon and Tamfourhill. These will contain basic hand tools to be used on local community growing projects. We then also have some funding for a few raised beds to be constructed.
This is a really exciting boost for our fledgling project. We’ll give you more information when we progress this funding and let you know how the tool sheds can be accessed, but for now would like to thank The Scottish Government and Keep Scotland Beautiful for approving this funding for us. You can read their full official press release, and see the full list of awardees, at https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/news/jan-2021/delivering-scotland-s-green-recovery/
To keep up to date with all our Growing activities, to sign up to receive news straight to your inbox, or to get involved, head to our dedicated Growing page.
I am sure that most people will agree that it is a relief to see the sun eventually set upon 2020. It has been a terrible year and I do not want to dwell to long on the tragedy and social disruption that has impacted upon us all in so many different ways. It is a real body blow therefore to start the new year with a further upsurge in the new mutant COVID virus and it appears we are moving in reverse and potentially retuning to the total lockdown of March 2020. There are reasons though that gives us a real sense of hope this time, vaccines are getting rolled out, the schools are better prepared for delivering effective distance learning and our community networks of resilience and support are better organised and coordinated. We know what is required and we know what we need to do to get us through to the spring when the sun will rise once more. The social and physical environment will come back to life and our community will once again thrive. In many respects this is a challenge of time and patience and I believe the knowledge, skills and experiences of the last 12 months will enable us to secure a better future and build a stronger self-reliant community. This is not to overlook the role and responsibility of government both local and national in facilitating and resourcing our new aspirations and we will need to work collaboratively to address the social and economic problems of poverty, inequality, and the climate emergency. I nevertheless hope and believe that we can build a better community once we pull ourselves up and out from the destruction of COVID. An opportunity has presented itself for us to go about community in a different way, with different priorities and a fresher realisation of what is important to us and what is not. We must ensure that our Health Service is fully resourced and supported, a new Care service that is run for the community and acknowledges the real worth of the care workers that are employed within that sector, all our social services and education provisions become top of the class and we all work together to create a sustainable green economy which serves the commonweal for the benefit of us all. Lockdown provided a glimpse into a different world so let’s see if we can kick the door open and move through into the beginning of a new approach with a new set of agreed societal priorities.
I want to briefly highlight some of the new projects that I will be developing and supporting through 2021 and which will have a focus upon keeping our community safe, supportive, and progressive.
Community Art projects and pop-up parks, there are a number of locations where these projects can be developed, improving our landscapes, and reducing anti-social behaviour. Encouraging local ownership and the involvement of the local schools, tenants, and community groups.
A canal clear up and improvement of the tow path and safe usage of the different resources and opportunities that the canal can provide. Water sports, angling, walking groups and an improved safer tow path for everybody to use and enjoy.
#Tidycleangreen with regular litter picks, conservation work and community fun days
Support the further improvement of Easter Carmuirs Park with the introduction of a new safer MUGA, better play equipment with lighting and shelters, organised sports and recreational activities run in the park
The Mariners month, a celebration of our local community involving all the local groups and agencies, I am hoping that we will have a new community broadcasting project up and running and being launched for the month of activities and celebrations.
Examining the practicalities of a new recovery café and volunteering project for those in recovery from the terrible impacts of addictions and to provide a safe and supportive social space for them with their families and friends.
I hope to be able to work with Easter Carmuirs Parent Council and introduce a Pocket places and a school streets pilot project, a first for the Falkirk council area.
Support the formation of new community groups with my colleague Dan including the community growing projects. There is the potential to support new areas of work around community safety initiatives in the Bantaskine area.
Through listening to and working with our local young people develop new youth provisions and learning opportunities within their own communities and peer groups.
The weeds will bloom as perfect flowers
This is not just a wish list of activities, much of the groundwork for these projects has begun and they will all form significant strands of the local community safety strategy. At this time, I cannot give specific details but every one of the above projects has been discussed and partners have indicated a willingness to make them happen. As always, the community must be at the centre of these ideas and their success is reliant upon their relevance and appropriateness to the aspirations of local people their families and the wider neighbourhood.
When you read this blog I’ll have signed off for 2020. And what a year it has been! I may have started in this role during lockdown, but back then in May, none of us would have thought we’d still be in this situation with so much restriction on our lives.
The pandemic and subsequent limitation on movement and activity have certainly had a massive negative impact on my plans within this role but I know that is nothing to how it has negatively impacted everyone’s lives and actually, it’s not been all bad – there has actually been some positivity. Here’s a couple of lists:
Things I’ve not been able to do:
Deliver training courses.
Have groups come together to network, share expertise and learn from each other.
Run information and planning sessions.
Deliver 1-1 coaching.
Run big events.
Meet with many people in real life.
Things I have been able to do:
Develop training courses including partnerships with training providers.
Understand more about the actual community needs.
Support 32 local organisations with various information and guidance.
Develop valuable contacts for future local benefit across various projects.
Begin to put Camelon and Tamfourhill back on the map for positive reasons.
There’s probably more for both lists but that will do for now! Essentially what I’m trying to say as much to myself as everyone else is that it’s not been all bad. In fact, the opposite is true – there has been a lot of good going on in the community. Groups have responded to a growth of need. Plans have been quickly put into place for new or enhanced projects. People have looked to how they can strengthen their own futures through learning new skills. Others have gained a new understanding about what actually happens in this community by the fact they have actually spent time in the area during the day. Foundations have been laid for so much more in the new year.
So despite the heartache, difficulty, stress and loss that many have faced in this area over 2020 (for which my thoughts and sympathies are freely given), I am full of hope for 2021 and beyond. More than that, I am excited for the possibilities of what is ahead. I hope that you will come with us on this journey.
I wish you and yours a very happy and safe Christmas, and look forward to working with you all in what will hopefully be a peaceful and more positive 2021.
I am sure most of us will be glad to see an end to 2020, its been a very difficult year and unfortunately for some a tragic year. The coming festive period offers an opportunity for quiet reflection and consider the importance of our collective strength and in our ability to show empathy and support to others in the face of ongoing adversity. In my few visits to Tamfourhill Community Hub I have experienced this ethos in action and I would like to acknowledge the tremendous and necessary work being carried out by the Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents Organisation. There needs to be a societal shift in our priorities and I personally feel we need to highlight and tackle inequality and poverty collaboratively, working closely with our statutory agencies and to do this in close partnership with our local communities.
But its out with the Old and in with the New and I am optimistic that we will as a community move forward positively in 2021. The level of resilience , adaptability and creativity that has been shown over the last 9 months has been remarkable and this level of community cohesion will be a focus for greater things to come in the near future. I look forward to confirming the local community safety strategy in the new year and to start delivering activities and projects which enable the community to be a safer and happier place to live and work.
A thank you to my colleague Dan Rous for his ongoing encouragement and insight and I have very much appreciated the support of Lynne and Shona as they have guided me through a path that has been at times awkward due to the Pandemic whilst I have also been trying to get to know the communities I am employed to engage with. I have been fortunate to have worked closely with a raft of different agencies and organisations, and I look forward to building on this solid foundation as we move forward in 2021.
Have a very merry Christmas and a Guid New Year and please remember to stay safe and keep the community a safe place to live and be about.
Apparently this year there is no naughty list! Or so some advertisers would have you think. It seems that because of everything we’ve been through, Santa doesn’t have a naughty list!
Okay, it’s just a cheap marketing line but rather than thinking about whether we’re going to get presents from Santa or not this year (I hope you do!), I thought about how we see things around us – naughty or nice? Or in other words, do you focus on the negative stuff around you, or the positive?
For many years, I have been accused of being too positive! Firstly, let me tell you that this is not always true and my family and closest friends will agree wholeheartedly with that! In fact I started writing this on a day when I wasn’t feeling as positive as normal. But actually, whether I’m feeling positive or negative, I am wired up so that I want to encourage others which often comes across as being positive. Whatever way round you want to take that, it’s just how I see life. I just choose to see the good around and focus on that, rather than being sucked down by the bad things around. And I make no apologies for that. It’s actually hard work, but it’s who I am.
You see, the more we focus on the naughty/bad/negative stuff around us, the more we get sucked into a naughty/bad/negative way of thinking. Yet a nice/good/positive focus can help us to shift the thought process, to ways through whatever you are seeing. If it helps, John highlighted some of the recent positive things in the community in his blog this week.
This is not to deny that bad stuff is around. It is not to pretend there are no issues. It is not to avoid dealing with difficult things. But it is to attempt to focus on your own life, your own opportunities and by living a better way, attempt to show those who focus on the negativity just how they can do the same. So if I say that we live in a great place, I genuinely mean that, because there are some amazing people in our community who want to make positive change for themselves and others. That doesn’t make the issues go away. But it’s a start.
Nick Vujicic is an Australian motivational speaker who was born with tetra-amelia syndrome which basically means he has no arms or legs. He made the choice to be positive in his life, not despite his physical issues but because of them. He said this:
You can be angry for what you don’t have or be thankful for what you do have
This positive thinking is not being naïve. It is not ignoring issues or circumstances whether personal to you or things around you. It is not believing that any bad stuff around you will just vanish if you’re positive. No. But it is a step to making your life and your community better because of the way you choose to focus. As Nick Vujicic says, being thankful for what you do have.
Lets take a few moments away from my writings and have a listen to this from another motivational speaker, American Steve Harvey.
So yes, we have many issues in our community that need dealing with. Crime. Drugs. Poverty. Unemployment. That’s just four. We cannot and will not ignore them. But there is one element of community that can help us move forwards and drive positive change. That element is YOU!
There’s a fancy title for this way of working called Asset Based Community Development – we’ll talk about this more in the new year. We have many assets in our community and the biggest asset is the people. I may have only lived in the area since the summer of 2016, but I have met a lot of people who are amazing and have so much to offer to this community. Many of them are doing that already to great effect, but some are just on the first rung of the ladder and that’s okay because you have to start somewhere. The journey will be different for every resident but as long as we all keep moving forward and focusing on the good things around, then we will make a positive difference.
So who’s going to join me on this journey towards positive change? Will you focus on the naughty or nice?
Safer Communities Youth Action Project 