Insight-Led Community Engagement Initiative
Context: The Black Culture Conversation sought to understand how Southwark Council might better support and celebrate Black culture across the borough. They wanted to work with their residents, creative practitioners and community organisations to co-create a sustainable vision for Black Culture in Southwark.
Challenge: The Conversation was to be conducted through a survey that needed to created. This survey needed to be promoted to potential participants. The promotion needed to reach a range of people in order to represent a true picture of the diversity within Southwark’s black population.
What I did:
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I conducted secondary research to explore existing models for inspiration, identified appropriate questions and used this research to suggest the future of The Black Culture Conversation.
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I analysed case studies and cultural trends to shape Southwark’s Black Culture Conversation initiative.
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I produced a detailed 7-page report outlining engagement strategies for hard-to-reach communities.
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I designed a research-driven communication and social media strategy that increased survey responses from underrepresented communities.
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I created and designed a brand look, assets and content for communications that reflected the nature of the research.
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I led 10+ focus groups and conducted qualitative research on Black culture in Southwark, translating insights into actionable recommendations for the council.
What I did:
-
I conducted secondary research to explore existing models for inspiration, identified appropriate questions and used this research to suggest the future of The Black Culture Conversation.
-
I analysed case studies and cultural trends to shape Southwark’s Black Culture Conversation initiative.
-
I produced a detailed 7-page report outlining engagement strategies for hard-to-reach communities.
-
I designed a research-driven communication and social media strategy that increased survey responses from underrepresented communities.
-
I created and designed a brand look, assets and content for communications that reflected the nature of the research.
-
I led 10+ focus groups and conducted qualitative research on Black culture in Southwark, translating insights into actionable recommendations for the council.
Key Insights:
Primary Research Insights (focus groups and interviews):
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Residents and business owners don’t trust or believe that Southwark will do anything/truly care.
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Initiatives often feel like a tick box exercises
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If Southwark do something, it cannot be a one off thing. It has to be for a long period of time or continuous for people to trust it
Secondary Research Insights (researching existing case studies and community engagement strategies):
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Community engagement cannot have a one size fits all approach especially when to comes to hard to reach groups
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Trust is a big deal and something that needs to be thought about in great deal, especially when it comes to hard to reach groups. Without the success of any project is capped.
What did the insight change?
The insights I collected shaped the questions that featured on the survey. It also allowed me to make the communications stratgey relevant and tailored to the insights. For example it led to a website being created for the duration of the survey after I noted that these types of projects need a central digital base for all information and updates. It informed the brand look, leading me to choose colours present on most flags of African, Caribbean and South American countries. I incorporated a social strategy to reach younger audiences and traditional comms strategy (newsletters, outreach, flyering) to reach older and disabled demographics.
Impact: Community engagement for this project reach over 2900 people