Community and neighbourhood development: informal communication tools and cases.

Written and edited by: Tita Kaisari-Ernst, Jekaterina Lavrinec, Katja Niggemeier
Designed by: Rūta Baradinskaitė
Publisher: Laimikis.lt
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for
any use which may be made of the information contained therein
Copyright © NGO “Laimikis.lt” (on behalf of the InterContexts partners), 2013
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-609-95560-0-0

2 3 4
5 7 9
15 17 19
How to create
communication
tool that work
Principles shared
by InterContexts
partners
Co-users of a
communication tool
in a neighbourhood
or a community
Communication
tools: cases
The Partners of
InterContexts
and their local
projects
Who we are and
what we have
done together
[InterContexts
partnership]
Types of
communication
tools
Why informal
communication
tools matter?
Preface

2
Preface
This guidebook to informal
communication tools
for communities and
neighbourhoods is a result
of the collaboration in
the InterContext learning
partnership* which brought
together practitioners
who work in the fields of
neighbourhood management
and civic and cultural
education. Five NGO’s from
Portugal, Latvia, Germany,
Lithuania and France share
their experience in developing
and applying communication
tools, which foster citizen
participation and cooperation
and promote change. We hope,
this short guidebook inspires
social workers, neighbourhood
managers, community
organisers, activists and
professionals in civic and (inter)
cultural education to search
for creative solutions in their
community and neighbourhood
development work.
* “InterContexts –
Contributions of Civic
and Cultural Education
in Disadvantaged Local
Contexts” is a Learning
Partnership financed through
the EU Life Long Learning
Program Grundvtig, August
2011 – July 2013.

We are a group of NGOs from France,
Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal,
which cooperated in the past in European
projects or met in related European
conferences concerning citizenship.
Participation, community work in
disadvantaged areas and the fight against
social exclusion are common issues in our
work. Going a step further we wanted to
explore how civic and cultural education
can promote social cohesion and local
development in disadvantaged local
contexts.
The learning partnership InterContexts*
was put in place with the purpose to
analyse and compare our different
working contexts and exchange
experiences and know-how in order
to develop approaches to strengthen
participation, cooperation and to train
3
key competences for participation. In the
context of this partnership we elaborated
local projects, which were characterised
by a spatial and participative approach.
These projects aimed to foster the
participation and create changes through
the involvement of the inhabitants. For
example, the local project of the French
partners focussed on participation of
neighbourhood communities in collecting
and sharing their memories connected
with the place. The Lithuanian partners
developed community art projects seeking
to revitalise a wooden neighbourhood
which experiences a pressure of rapid
redevelopment of the area.
This short guide to informal
communication tools in communities
/ neighbourhoods is a result of
InterContexts partnership which made
possible systematic exchange and
development of common viewpoints -
despite the differences of local contexts.
Keywords:
cooperation, participation,
community work, civic and
cultural education, social cohesion,
local development, informal
communication.
Who we are
and what we
have done
together
InterContexts
partnership

4
Principles shared by
InterContexts partners
InterContexts partners believe that:
Local development and social cohesion can only be
achieved with the participation of the inhabitants.
Cooperation between the local community,
development agents, local stakeholders and the
administration is a prerequisite for a sustainable
development.
Local development is a pathway of a community,
a neighbourhood or an area to make use its
potentials taking into account social cohesion.
Communication is a decisive factor for the
development of any kind of social project in
disadvantaged areas and it is often one of the main
obstacles for local development and social cohesion.
Civic and (inter)cultural education contribute to
promote social cohesion and local development in
disadvantaged local contexts.

5
Why informal communication
tools matter?
A crucial point for the success of our projects/ actions is the communication with the local
people and the administration. On the one hand communication is the biggest challenge in
order to involve the people, to motivate them and to disseminate the results at local level.
On the other hand the cooperation with the administration is important in order to have
sustainable results.
In the context of this partnership, we decided to concentrate in the communication at local
level and to answer the questions: which steps are needed and which are the requirements
for the elaboration of communication tools in community and neighbourhood development
work.
The cooperation between local level and administration is a very important issue, which has
to be approached at national and European level as a topic on its own.
LOCAL
COMMUNITY
ACTIVE
CITIZENS
ADMINISTRATION

The word “communication” derives from
the verb communicare ‘to share’. In the
context of this text, communication is the
way to share and exchange using different
media in a community / neighbourhood.
From our perspective the aim of
communication tools in community and
neighbourhood development work is:
to foster information and ideas
exchange;

to reinforce dialogue at local level;

to strengthen local participation;

to promote change.
We focus on communication tools used
in neighbourhoods and communities,
that do not only inform, but much
more promote the communication
between the inhabitants. For us it is
interesting to find out how to produce
communication tools, that can be
appropriated, changed or rejected by
the members of the neighbourhood/
6
Keywords:
Information and exchange of ideas,
dialogue, local participation, social
change
community. Independently of their fate
these tools achieve to initiate a discussion
and strengthen the dialogue between
the members of the neighbourhood/
community.
These tools could be used by social
workers, neighbourhood managers,
community organisers, city-planers,
professional in civic, cultural and (inter)
cultural education and activists.
Without underestimating the importance
of “traditional” communication tools,
methods and strategies (for instance
webpages, leaflets and posters, press
releases, newsletters, conferences,
workshops etc.), we think that more
creative, participative and context related
approaches are needed in community
and neighbourhood development work.
We concentrate on communication tools
that have an impact at the level of the
community/ neighbourhood. One of the
aims of these communication tools is the
stimulation and the intensification of the
informal communication.

7
Information Tools: Communication
tools which mainly aim to inform the
inhabitants.
Interaction Tools: Communication
tools for the reinforcement of the
communication between the inhabitants.
A meeting is a classic format to come
together and discuss about an issue of
common interest.
In the context of the community and
neighbourhood work, we recognise the
following types of communication tools:
Types of communication tools

8
Events are a moment of coming together and share. Activities that involve the community as
a a whole (for example, the museum of Alpalhao in Portugal brings together all generations of
residents, who take active part in arranging exhibitions).
Symbolic – Representation Tools:
Communication tools that reinforce
the feeling of belonging to an area, to
a community or highlight the positive
character of an area.
Exhibition or other
communication
forms which
focus on the
identification with
a space, a group.

10
Burbuliatorius
(Bubble your city)
LT
Period of activity: 2009 – till now
Place: Public spaces in Lithuanian cities
Aim: to revitalise public spaces by
encouraging citizen participation in non-
commercial events
Addressee: residents of the cities with
deactivated public spaces
Format: periodical citizens gatherings
Type of tool: interactive communication
How it works:
Burbuliatorius is a periodical open
gathering of citizens in public spaces.
The main part of this event is soap
bubbles. Citizens are invited to detect
deactivated public spaces which have a
good recreational potential, and to choose
a place (a square, a park, a field) where
they would like to gather every second
Monday in evening during summer
season. Participants are invited to bring
soap bubbles and to “bubble” the chosen
place. Citizens are invited to develop all
kinds of non-commercial activities, to
arrange picnics and art improvisations,
to play field games, and to initiate open
workshops. As a result, public spaces in
more than 14 Lithuanian towns as well
as UK and Scandinavian cities that joined
the initiative are periodically revitalised by
their residents.
Initiated by: Laimikis.lt, laimikis@laimikis.lt

11
LT
Period of activity: 2012-till now
Place: Vilnius neighbourhood
Aim: to encourage sharing and to build
nets of mutual help
Addressee: neighbourhoods residents and
every passer-by of any age
Format: art intervention
How it works:
Street Komoda is an urban furniture,
designed for sharing small items and
books. It s a site-specific object, and an
urban camouflage is developed for it by
invited graffiti artists.
It could be used by everyone, who wants
to get rid of items, which still are useful
or to find some useful items,, or just
enjoy the game of anonymous sharing.
People develop their own rules of using
the Komoda by bringing books, pencils,
candies and badges, music albums, and
leaving postcards with messages to each
other. As a result a temporal community of
users of Street Komoda emerges in a few
days.
Initiated by: Laimikis.lt, laimikis@laimikis.lt
Gatvės komoda
(Street Komoda)
A pilote Street Komoda was developed
together with an international group of
students, which took part in a workshop, run
by Laimikis.lt the members in the framework
of LitPro summer school.

12
Berlins longest
handmade scarf
DE
Period of activity: March 2013-till now
Place: Weiße Siedlung – Neukölln / Berlin
Aim: to encourage sharing and communication
Addressee: Weiße Siedlung und Neukölln
residents in Berlin
Format: social project, “An die Wolle, fertig los!”
How it works:
Berlins longest handmade scarf is a way to
mobilise inhabitants and especially women, to
strengthen sharing and communication and
to improve the image of a disadvantaged area.
Everyone who likes knitting can contribute with
a scarf of given measures, or can come to knit
together with others in the local neighbourhood
centre (Nachtbarschaftstreff Sonnenblick). The
goal is to knit a scarf of more than 500 meter
long. After an official measuring, the scarf will
be sold in pieces and the money will be given
to the NGO “Ein Herz für Kinder”. Because of
its easy and enjoyable nature, the project has
already attracted the attention of people, media
and local authorities, including the Mayor
of Berlin-Neukölln. People can contribute in
different ways: they knit; they offer wool or
motivate their friends and relatives to engage. As
a result, the project has reached people outside
the boarders of the area where it was initiated.
Moreover people got together and networks are
strengthened.
Initiated by: Kubus gGmbH, sonnenblick@
kubus-berlin.com

13
PT
Period of activity: 1996 - until now
Place: North Alentejo ( Nisa / Portalegre ) -
Portugal
Aim: To encourage sharing and
communication, especially between
generations
Addressee: villagers , students , education
professionals , municipality , social workers
Format: community activists
Type of tool: interactive communication /
symbolic representation
How it works:
The Museum of Local Alpalhao is the
product of donations of the residents and
a multidisciplinary team accompanied its
construction. The house and all the exhibits
are donations. The restoration of the building
was done by specialist of the municipality of
Nisa and the museum was developed with
the participation and help of the villagers.
The exhibits are organized in different
rooms representing a house (the kitchen,
the bedroom of a rich house, the bedroom
of a poor house, the lounge in a rich house,
etc.) The museum looks like an ethnological
museum with the difference that the exhibits
are not selected / curated. All the donations
of the residents have a place in a certain
room of the museum. Moreover the texts of
the exhibits are written by children based on
the testimony of elders with the guidance
The Museum of
Alpalhao
of teachers and a museum curator. Therefore,
the museum is not only representative of their
way of life, but also participatory. Everyone
is involved in it. Today an old lady takes care
at a volunteer basis of the museum. Kids from
the local primary school are the guides. As a
communication tool the museum strengthens
the communication and in particularly the
intergenerational dialogue and the identity of
the village.
Started by: ICE ( Institute of Educational
Communities ; ESEP ( School of Education of
Portalegre ), Municipality of Nisa , Parish of
Alpalhao ; Nisa Group of Schools ( EB1 School
and Kindergarten Alpalhao).

14
Verbatim
FR
Period of activity: March 2013-till now
Place: Paris 17th (Porte Pouchet), Clichy la
Garenne, Saint Ouen, France
Aim: to promote the expression of
inhabitants regarding different issues (i.e.
Paris and its suburbs, urban memories of
both sides of the ring road, modifications
of urban territories, etc.) concerning their
city and foster social links, appropriation
of urban territories and encourage the
participation of inhabitants in urban
projects
Addressee: inhabitants of the three cities,
residents and passers-by
Format: Posters, post-cards, sticks,
stencils with printed verbatim of
inhabitants
Type of tool: Symbolic-representation
How it works:
Six volunteers of public service have
been trained by social anthropologists
to conduct interviews on specific issues
concerning the three cities (Paris 17,
Clichy, Saint Ouen) separated by the ring
road which are going through similar
important changes of their territories
(demolishing of buildings, new buildings,
new means of transportation, etc.).
They have collected the words of the
inhabitants and chosen which words
in their interviews would be the most
accurate to share with other inhabitants
in order to express feelings, memories,
expectations regarding a specific issues
in the cities. Posters, postcards, stencils
have been designed together with the
young social anthropologists apprentices
in a way that the words of the inhabitants
were highlighted. Several ‘campaigns’ of
display, distribution of cards, etc. were
organized during one year in order to
foster exchange also through a website
and public meetings.
Initiated by: Metropop!,
ch.deltenre@gmail.com

15
How to create communication
tool that works
Steps and important questions for the elaboration of a
communication tool:
Seeing, observing, finding what kind of communication practices exist
already. When and where are the people coming together and talk naturally?
Use all senses in order to understand
and find the local communication mode.
Look at the space. See how the people
move, where they gather.
Listen to the people, to their stories, how
and about what they talk.
Find what are the important issues,
points of discussion in the area.
Define the local channels of
communication.
Identify the local stakeholders and the
relations between them.
Learn about the history of the area/
community.
Understand the politics, the tensions and
the conflicts.
Setting a contact with the people
Pay attention to the way you get in
contact with people. The success of
the communication depends in a great
extend of that.
Create some pretexts for getting into
contact.
Be aware of the conflicts, the tensions
and the history of the community.
Use the local networks and
communication channels.
While developing an informal communication tool, it is important to be aware of the area, of the local conflicts
and politics, as well as the respect for the differences represented in the area. It is especially challenging not to
perpetuate stereotypes or create new ones. Consequently the question of how much input could be given from
outsiders to the community/ neighbourhood is very important.

16
Interact with people and find local partners.
Discuss with local people and local
stakeholders about their communication
practices in their every day life.
Build trust is a work that needs time, but
it is an important requirement for the
success of any communication tool used
in a community or neighbourhood.
Pay attention to the different types
of trust. If you are a co-actor in the
community it takes less time to build
trust than if you are an external actor.
Evaluate if it is the right moment
to use a communication tool.
Sometimes the situation in the
community/ neighbourhood
can be so complicated that no
communication tool could be
effective.
Develop a network of interested
people and stakeholders, who wants
to co-develop the communication
or to propose a new communication
tool to the area, to the people.
Propose a new communication tool to the area, to the people.
Identify the requirements for the tool
based on the results; the knowledge and
the synergies from the second step.
Give time for the development of the
communication.
Use the local communication channels
and networks.
Train people to take on and
appropriate the tool is important
and it could be a communication tool
itself.
Have in mind that sometimes tools
need guidelines how to use them.
Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the tool. To what degree the tool is
appropriated, how is it used and what kind of impacts does it have?
Did the communication have an impact?
Did it produce side-effects?
Did it create a chain reaction in the
community, in the neighbourhood?
Who supports the
communication tool?
Are the use and the results of the
tool sustainable?

17
Co-users of a communication
tool in a neighbourhood or a
community
It is recommended to involve the
community on the very early stage of
developing a communication tools.
As a rule, the most active co-users of
communication tool are those who
have time in their everyday life and are
spending time together with peers. Based
on our experience the easiestr group to
approach are the youngsters parents with
small kids and the elderly. In the opposite
people who are working are more difficult
to involve, mainly due to lack of time. Of
course, this is often the most important
group in order to produce changes.
Case: While initiating community art
initiative “Street mosaic workshop” in
the neighbourhood of Šnipiškės (Vilnius,
Lithuania), Lithuanian partners received
support from elder people, who donated
ceramic tiles for the community mosaic
and from small kids, who became co-
authors of street mosaic art-work.
Initiative
Youngsters Elderly
Local organisations Parents with kids

18
The ideal impact could be that the communication tool, its message, some of its elements
or its side effects are appropriated, changed or rejected by the neighbourhood/ community
and as a result communication is created or reinforced at the local context. Ideally the tool
could be the inspiration for the new communication practices, the creation of a network or
of an initiative of local people. The impact of the tool is not necessarily measurable. What is
important is the qualitative improvement of the communication, in the sense of exchange and
sharing, in the community/ neighbourhood.
For example, a community gardening initiative in the neighbourhood can inspire regular
picnics where public discussions take place. Also, new places for sharing and advices can
emerge.
The ideal impact of a
communication tool

Metropop’! is a recently founded
association of social workers, researchers,
artists and volunteers interested in
the question of the representation of
Banlieue cities and their relation to the
respective Centers. Metropop cooperates
with “Ethnologue en Herbes” for the
project in Paris: “My neighbourhood, our
Patrimony”. Contact: http://metropop.fr

Zeitpfeil e.V. is an association for
nonformal and informal citizenship and
(inter)cultural education implementing
seminars, training courses, study trips and
European exchange projects for young
adults and adult learners on both regional
and national level. Zeitpfeil undertook a
study with the subject: “The participation
of young people in the context of
neighbourhood managements in Berlin.”
Conatact: http://www.zeitpfeil.org/

Integracijas Centrs founded in
2010 by social workers, psychologists and
pedagogues was essentially established
to identify pedagogical and community
work based methods to foster an inclusive
society on state and community level,
working top-down as well as bottom-
up, thus targeting all levels of society. In
cooperation with the “Urban Institute”
the project “Community work and
participation methodology - Three applied
research cases of public participation in
community work“ is put in place in Riga,
Tartu and Vilnius. Contact: guna.gb@
gmail.com

Laimikis.lt is a Vilnius based
interdisciplinary platform for urban
research, community and public art
initiatives as well as urban activism.
Founded in 2007 (and registered as NGO
in 2009) the group focusses on creative
revitalisation of public spaces and
develops alternative communication tools
for community building applying artistic
tactics (art interventions, performances,
happenings). “Citizen participation in
developing public spaces: Šnipiškės
neighbourhood“ is the local project of
Laimikis. Contact:
http://laimikis.lt, laimikis@laimikis.lt

ICE is a NGO founded in 1992
dedicated to the promotion of local
development, animation and intervention
in local communities by educational
means in order to combat social, cultural,
ethnic and economic exclusion and the
desertification of rural areas. Their project
takes place in Castelo de Vide: “Windows
- views and stories of Castelo de Vide -
Portugal. An educational approach around
heritage and memory.“
Contact: http://iceweb.org
For more information visit InterContexts
partners blog: http://intercontexts.
wordpress.com/
19
The Partners of InterContexts
and their local projects.

InterContext partners manifesto:
Local development and social cohesion can only be achieved with
the participation of the inhabitants.
Civic and (inter)cultural education contribute to promote social
cohesion and local development in disadvantaged local contexts.
Communication is a decisive factor for the development of any kind
of social project in disadvantaged areas and it is often one of the
main
obstacles for local development and social cohesion.
Local development is a pathway of a community, a neighbourhood
or an area to make use its potentials taking into account social
cohesion.
Cooperation between the local community, development agents,
local stakeholders and the administration is a prerequisite for a
sustainable
development.stakeholders and the administration is a prerequisite
for a sustainable development.
ISBN 978-609-95560-0-0

Community and neighbourhood development: informal communication tools and cases.

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