TLP Case Study: Anne Fleming, Short Strand Inner East TLP, Autumn 2020

Anne Fleming works as part of the NI Assembly Engagement Team. Here she shares her story.

“As somebody who works in the public sector, I feel the course has motivated me to explore possibilities of greater partnership working with statutory bodies in order to improve shared space and encourage positive relations within the community.”

Introduction and Motivation

What motivated you to sign up to this particular programme over any others?

I hadn’t been aware of anything similar to this course when I heard about it. I signed up because I saw someone who I follow on Twitter (they work in local govt) mention that they did the course last year and got a lot from it.  They mentioned how ‘practical’ it was - I was motivated therefore to apply.

Experience and Learning

What topics stood out for you?

Lot of topics stood out especially: (i) looking at different leadership styles and the discussion around what makes a good leader, and that many styles are needed, and (ii) the discussion around collaboration and the analysis around negotiating. The personality analysis questionnaire forced me to examine and think about all of these things. The course was practical, interesting and thought-provoking. As somebody who works in the public sector, I feel the course has motivated me to explore possibilities of greater partnership working with statutory bodies in order improve shared space and encourage positive relations within the community.

What are you likely to ‘take back’ to your life/work in the community?

I’m likely to take back awareness of the different views in a community, the need for communication, planning, getting people on board and taking the first step.

   Impact

Is there anything you could or would do now that you wouldn’t have felt able to do before?

Yes, I think I have a greater knowledge of reaching out initiatives – I feel I have gained greater confidence and motivation that I could add something by pitching in

Are there people/agencies you feel able to talk to and work with now that you weren’t before?

Yes – definitely – I have been updating my knowledge on groups looking at outdoor space – I contributed my view on The Ormeau Parklet for example.

What difference will this make to how you engage in your interface area?

We had a discussion in the course about the various ‘stakeholders’ involved in an interface and where the power lies – giving this greater consideration and thought – we also spoke about the ‘small’ things that can we make a big difference in an interface e.g. better street lighting leads to better feeling of security, more visual art – somebody mentioned a bird table having a positive impact in their local area.

What difference will the course make to the interface area overall? Especially in terms of relationships, collaboration and increased understanding in the area?

The course overall had useful discussions on how to develop relationships, what the barriers might be and how to overcome them, and what the possible impact could be of actions.

 Behaviour

Which issues in particular do you think you might get involved in?

Outdoor space – I wasn’t convinced in the past as to how big an impact useful outdoor space can have on an environment and people.  Lockdown in particular has made me appreciate nature a lot more.  All the evidence says it can improve mental health.  I was interested in the Ormeau story about parklets and contributed my thoughts to the project.

How will you apply new ways of working, ideas or approaches?

I am now aware of the need to think about effective partnership and the need for everyone (and me) to be clear on role.  Planning is also key – going slow at the start to hopefully eventually go fast as things progress.

Attribution

To what extent do you think these changes would have occurred in the absence of this course?

 The course opened my mind to new ways of thinking – the course allowed me to hear from others, examining theory on social innovation, collaboration and leadership.

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