Strathcarron Hospice – 4 Steps to a Compassion Community
Below, the Compassionate Communities Team at Strathcarron Hospice share insights from their work supporting compassionate communities in Forth Valley. Thanks to Hannah Gray, Senior Community Development Worker at Strathcarron Hospice for sharing these insights.
“The Compassionate Communities Team at Strathcarron Hospice knows that communities have the tools to support each other throughout life, right up to the end. Communities care for each other in difficult times. But there are also times when people need extra help. Our approach is to respect what communities do for themselves and identify what they need help with, so that people feel confident and supported throughout life.
We have worked alongside several communities who wanted to be more organised in caring for each other at difficult times. We have collated some ideas to encourage people who would like to be part of more caring and compassionate communities.
Start small and local. Can you and your neighbours create a compassionate street? What can you do to make this happen? Each community will find their own way to do things. We have found four steps that help – ‘Discover’, ‘Connect’, ‘Mobilise’ and ‘Celebrate’.
Step 1 - Discover:
What is strong about your community? Everyone has something valuable to share - skills, passions and gifts! There are no “helpers” and no “helped”.
Some tips to having conversations about your community’s strengths can be found here: GoodLifeConversation.pdf (nurturedevelopment.org). And If having conversations about what you are good at feels tricky, here is a game to make things easier: The We Can Game.
When you identify community strengths, plot them on a ‘treasure map’ that can be developed over time.
Step 2 - Connect:
Get together with people with similar interests. The skills and gifts you have discovered in Step 1 can be used to bring people together e.g. bring together someone who can cook with someone who is an organiser to host a community meal, or ask younger people to organise a talent show.
Why have a meeting when you can have a party?!
Look into your community for people who have things they would like to share – local history knowledge, storytelling, musical talent. If there are a few people who enjoy a walk, do it together, and invite people you know to join you. The Camerados Movement share their Midday Meanders resources here: Organise a Midday Meander or Parklife - Camerados.
This is a brilliant way to gather folk for a walk.
And if you are looking to connect with people not able to go out for a walk, why not meet at a coffee shop afterwards at an organised time?
Finally, when you host activities, ask “Who isn’t here today?”. To gather people from different circles, invite 3 people and ask them to also invite 3 others.
Think creatively about ways that people who wouldn’t usually attend a community meeting could be involved. Think about accessibility and transport. Do you have any solutions to these issues that you could tap into?
Step 3 - Mobilise:
Once relationships are formed, based on strengths and shared concerns, people will be able to take action on things they care about. A beautiful example of this can be seen in in Denny, Falkirk, which commemorated remembrance day 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic: Putting Community At The Heart Of The Hospice Movement - 2022 (fliphtml5.com) (from page 13).
Step 4 - Celebrate (Every Step of the Way):
We encourage you to celebrate every small achievement.
Every time new people are connected, ripples that will be felt in the community. By trying out these ideas, you and your neighbours are building the foundations of a compassionate community.
If you, a friend or neighbour becomes unwell or bereaved, you will be better connected with others in friendship to support you through difficult times.
For more information about how we have used an Asset Based Community Development approach at Strathcarron Hospice: Putting Community at the Heart of the Hospice Movement | Strathcarron Hospice.
