As we reach the end of 2020, I'm sharing some of the projects and organisations I've been working with this year, along with key things I've learned along the way.
The Action Project, led by the David Hume Institute, brings people from across Scotland together to consider what we need to do to move faster towards a country that is more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair.
Image: Live illustration by Amber Anderson
I was appointed Project Manager for The Action Project in August 2020, working with a small team on a fast-paced project with a broad remit and a sizeable pool of collaborators and partners. Alongside the overall co-ordination of the project's workstreams, timescale and deliverables, I was delighted to be able to instigate new partnerships, and facilitate workshops with those leading change in communities across Scotland (the outcomes of which are illustrated above).
The Action Project will publish a report of key findings - and recommendations for action - in spring 2021.
Three things I've learned:
Communication, communication, communication. This project has a huge and diverse range of stakeholders, rapidly evolving plans, and a seriously fast pace of change. Regular stakeholder updates have helped to keep everyone on the same page, and Slack has been fabulous for reducing emails and keeping the core team up to date.
Finding great partners is a critical thing. Less a new learning, but one that was reiterated via this work. On such a broad and fast-moving project, it's been a joy to develop partnerships with people who share a real passion for reaching out beyond their network, making big things happen quickly, and thinking ambitiously about the future of Scotland.
Expertise is everywhere. A critical facet of this project is in recognising and amplifying the lived experience of those in communities alongside the work of academics, policy-makers and fiscal experts. Whilst balancing the range of perspectives has rarely been simple or straightforward, the findings will be more nuanced, robust and - we hope - actionable as a result.