Engaging with Culture Mile


2.5 Community participation is embedded in our work


Culture Mile should be open and welcoming to everyone. A place where high brow and everyday culture sit effortlessly side by side. The area is undoubtedly a destination for visitors from around the world but it is also home to many long-established communities. Every effort should be made to ensure these groups feel a sense of ownership and active interest in the area. There is great opportunity to reference and connect with the wider community work of the Culture Mile partners. 

Key considerations are: 

Community group - Early consultation work revealed a strong desire among residents to help deliver the Culture Mile vision but there is not currently a structure in place to channel their input. Establishing a working group of interested residents, businesses and local employees will help to organise and provide a strong voice to feed into discussions around topics such as a public art (see case study in Appendix 2 2.5).’Every One Every Day’ in Barking is an example of how such mobilisation can happen to great affect. The group will work with residents to create neighbourhood-led projects and support the formation of new community businesses. 

Youth engagement - Young residents from the wider area must obtain greater benefits from the facilities, expertise and physical space unique to the area and its institutions. The City of London already collaborates with a cultural education agency who work with partners to bridge the divide between young Londoners and mainstream arts. They develop strategies for cultural outreach, running employment programmes and working to attract funding. Other groups such as ‘A Library of Things’ could be considered, where you can borrow useful items, such as tools, and learn how to use them. This will empower communities by providing informal training and the freedom and tools to explore ideas. 

Social isolation - Social Isolation has been identified as a considerable concern, particularly amongst elderly and LGBT residents of the Barbican. Urban gardening projects in and around the Barbican could be expanded and initiatives such as GoodGym, where people complete runs stopping enroute to support isolated older people with social visits and one-off tasks they can’t do on

Proposals

  • Collaborate with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Culture Mile Community Lead - To engage local communities in programming in the public realm and in longer-term to the local area. 
  • Form a local Community Working Group - To communicate, advocate and shape the community involvement in public realm projects (e.g. ‘Friends of Culture Mile’ style organisation). 
  • Partner with Learning and Engagement Work - Led by Culture Mile Learning to expand into the public realm, for example through offering opportunities for skills development. 
  • Public spaces and communities - Ensure easy access and use of public spaces by communities for activities which enable collaborations and reinforce a sense of community within Culture Mile.
  • Encourage a sense of ownership amongst local people - By involving residents and partners in commissioning processes. 
  • Work with Culture Mile communities - To set up budgets for grants or in-kind support for Culture Mile community-led projects. 
  • Establish a clear communication system - For public consultations, a Culture Mile mailing list and for other activities with local communities. 
  • Create systems of engagement and notification that are accessible and reach local people who are currently under-represented in audiences and engagement schemes. 
  • Community spaces - Partner with community groups and the Culture Mile Engagement Lead to survey spaces in Culture